Spain cannot afford to be stuck hanging for months. After the heavy electoral defeat of the Socialists on Sunday, the Spaniards are expected to make their final verdict on the left-wing minority government as early as July. It is true that Prime Minister Sánchez is no longer waiting for the legislative period to come to an end at the end of the year. A permanent election campaign would paralyze the country.

There is a great risk that Sánchez will fail. But there is an urgent need for the two largest parties to clarify their relationship with the extremists and nationalists – both on the left and on the right. For far too long, the socialist PSOE and the conservative PP have allowed themselves to be blackmailed by them. For more than a decade, the old two-party system has been history.

No right-wing majority without Vox?

In particular, Sánchez's concessions to the left-nationalist Bildu party from the Basque Country went too far for many voters because of its proximity to the now-defunct terrorist organization Eta. The PP, on the other hand, is reluctant to position itself clearly against the right-wing populists of Vox. Without Vox, however, it could not be enough for a right-wing majority. Voters need to know how far to the right the PP really is, even if that will cost votes in the middle.

Spain needs political clarity and stability. This is also in Europe's interest. Three weeks before the elections, the EU's fourth-largest economy takes over the presidency of the Council.