Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez, whose career has been marked by near death experiences and audacious gambles, has made his most daring bet yet by calling a snap general election the day after he was rebuked by voters.
Sánchez struck a tone of chastened humility as he announced a poll five months earlier than expected on July 23, saying his Socialist party’s defeat to the People’s party in local and regional elections meant it was necessary to “clarify” the will of the people.