Spain's Socialist party (PSOE) was left with less than half of its 38-member executive after Wednesday's mass resignation combined with two previous resignations and the death of another member in past months.

Analysts said the Socialist ructions could enable Rajoy to forge a minority government led by his Popular Party (PP), assuming the 85 Socialist lawmakers abstained in a future investiture vote in the national parliament.

In two regional elections Sunday, Rajoy's PP renewed its absolute majority in Galicia and lost just one seat in the Basque Country.

The Socialists lost ground in both regions, finishing in the Basque region behind the new anti-austerity party Podemos, which wants to replace PSOE as Spain's main left-wing force.

Rajoy heads a caretaker administration after two inconclusive elections last December and in June, with a third election looming if no proper national government is formed by October 31.

'Deep debate,' says Sanchez

On Monday, Sanchez (pictured above) acknowledged there was "deep debate" with his party and said he planned to call a leadership contest for October 23 while trying in the meantime to form an "alternative government for change."

Steadfastly, he had refused to support a minority government led by conservative rivals.

A Socialist lawmaker quoted by the news agency AFP on Wednesday said under party rules the executive "must be dissolved and its powers passed on to a caretaker administration."

Rajoy has the support of 170 lawmakers in Spain's 350-seat national parliament - 137 of them from his own party.

That leaves him, currently, still six seats short of a majority, in a country unfamiliar with the practice - used in other countries - of negotiating and forming coalition governments.

ipj/kms (AP, AFP, Reuters)