Alberto Nunez Feijoo, the leader of Spain's opposition Conservative People's Party (PP), has lost the second round of voting in Spain's Congress of Deputies after failing to secure a majority of votes to become Prime Minister.

According to Congress President Francina Armengol on Friday, 173 of 350 members voted for Feijoo, and 177 voted against him.

Feijoo had the backing of 33 MPs from the far-right VOX party, as well as two minor regional conservative parties, the Navarrese People's Union (UPN) and the Canarian Coalition (CC), each of which has just one seat. One legislator said that he mistakenly voted for Feijoo.

Vox seeks to repeal laws against gender violence, abortion, and euthanasia, as well as prohibit independence-seeking parties and safeguard traditions like bullfighting.

Feijoo lost the previous vote on Wednesday, prompting the parliament to schedule a second vote. Following Feijoo's second loss, Spanish legislators now have two months to choose a replacement candidate. If they do not, King Felipe VI of Spain will be obliged to dissolve both chambers of parliament and order early elections.

In July, Feijoo declared an "indisputable" win, despite Spain's right-wing failing to secure a 176-seat needed majority in the parliament to form a government.

Spain's Socialists candidate speaker wins key vote backed by Catalans

Last month, the candidate of Spain's Socialists was appointed as speaker for the lower house of Congress with support from Catalan parties, in acting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's first move toward creating a new government.  

Sanchez, first elected in 2018, has ruled in a minor coalition with the far-left Podemos party that subsequently merged with other groups into Sumar.

After a shaky election in July, there was a vote on a speaker that was considered as a gauge for the relative strength of the left and right blocs while discussions to form a government continued.

Francina Armengol was elected speaker after receiving 178 votes in the 350-seat legislature. The conservative People's Party (PP) candidate received just 137 votes, while the far-right Vox, which is in coalition with the PP in several Spanish regions, voted for its own candidate, Ignacio Gil, rather than the PP's.