Spain's hard left fails to unite before election, hurting chances of staying in power

Spain's hard-left parties on Saturday presented separate candidate lists for a snap election after talks on a nationwide pact collapsed, reducing Socialist prime minister Pedro Sanchez' chances of staying in power at the head of a leftist coalition.

Spain's electoral system disadvantages smaller parties running separately, particularly in less populous provinces, where fewer seats are available.

The division could also demoralise left-wing voters, whom organisers hoped to galvanise around housing protests and fear of the far right.

The Broad Front, a platform comprising several parties represented in the minority government, and the other main party on the hard left, Podemos ("We Can"), had been publicly arguing over the leading positions on joint candidate lists for the November 29 election in Madrid and Barcelona, the largest constituencies.

Long-standing animosities between former comrades-turned-rivals did not help.

"These past few days have been very difficult ... some people will be disappointed today, and for that I am sorry," Ada Colau, the former Barcelona mayor and leader of the Broad Front, said at her platform's launch event in Madrid.

Podemos, whose lead candidate is former equality minister Irene Montero, had proposed open primaries to determine candidates' positions on joint lists.

But the Broad Front refused, arguing there was too little time, and wanted its own preferred candidates to lead the lists in Madrid and Barcelona.

Podemos then made a separate pact deal with the Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC), which favours Catalan independence.