Spain's King Felipe has nominated acting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to face a parliamentary vote for a new mandate after his conservative rival failed in his bid to become premier last week.
The king formally asked the leader of the Spanish Socialist Workers Party to try and form a government, the parliamentary speaker said.
"I will inform the candidate of the king's decision and I will listen to his (Sanchez's) proposal for the required timeframe," Francina Armengol told reporters after meeting with the head of state.
Mr Sanchez said he will now start meeting with other political parties to reach an agreement that will not only confirm a Socialist-led government, but last a full four-year term.
"I'm ready to work to form as soon as possible a progressive coalition government with enough support to ensure the stability the country needs," he told reporters.
In an inconclusive general election on July 23, Mr Sanchez's party secured fewer seats than the conservatives of Alberto Nunez-Feijoo, but Mr Sanchez has been adamant that he can muster enough support for his candidacy.
If Sanchez is to be reinstated as premier, he will need to pass a key parliamentary vote for which he will need the backing of a hardline Catalan separatist party cast in the role of kingmaker.
The move comes just four days after right-wing opposition leader Mr Nunez-Feijoo failed in his own bid to win parliamentary support to be inaugurated as prime minister.
If no candidate secures a majority by 27 November, a repeat election has to be called, most likely in mid-January.
In power since 2018, Sanchez has proved to be a tenacious political survivor and is confident he will be returned to power with the backing of the far left along with Basque and Catalan regional parties.
But crucially, he will need the votes of seven JxCat politicians, who have demanded an amnesty for those facing legal action over the failed 2017 Catalan separatist bid.
Such a move is vehemently opposed by the right and also crosses a red line for some within Sanchez's own Socialist party.
