So, back in November 2015 we had two things clear: first of all, Ciudadanos, the centre-right party which everybody seemed to love, was going to give Podemos (and possibly also the two major parties) a great blow, and it was going to form a right-wing coalition with the PP, or a 'centrist' one with the PSOE.
However, election day came and Ciudadanos fell some 8+ points short of what it was expected, and although the conservative party (PP) came slightly ahead of what pollsters predicted, the great winner of that December 20th election was undoubtedly Podemos (not because it won, but because it managed to enter in a virtual tie with the PSOE, and beat ciudadanos, really badly). However, this meant one thing: Neither the left nor the right were able to form a majority, so after a couple of months and two failed attempts by the socialists to form a government... fresh elections!
This time polls showed that both PP and Unidos Podemos (an alliance between Podemos, United Left and other forces) would beat the PSOE and reach 24-26% of the votes, and that PSOE and Unidos Podemos could even reach a majority by themselves, or with the support of a small regionalist party called PNV. However, Unidos Podemos didn't beat the PSOE, had 'only' 21.1% of the vote, and this time the great winner was... a (possibly) drunk Mariano Rajoy. yet, with Ciudadanos losing almost 10 seats, the right came short (again) of a majority, and the left fell below their 20-D results (thanks to the PSOE losing 5 seats).
And now, the gridlock continues, and there are serious articles talking about how to avoid... a fourth election.
We might not reach +500 days without government, as Belgium did, but Spain has something in the law that Belgium hasn't: Spain celebrates elections automatically when no government is formed. And do you know when the next election will take place if no government is formed? On christmas day.
Next time my fellow americans critizise their congress for 'not doing nothing' on christmas dinner, remember the thousands of spaniards that can't go with their families thet very same day because they are counting the votes.