Spain’s conservative Popular Party (PP) secured a clear victory on Sunday, December 21, in a new regional election in Extremadura, western Spain, dealing a heavy blow to the governing Socialists of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who are reeling from a series of corruption scandals. The far right also strengthened its position.

The PP won 43% of the vote, translating into 29 of the 65 seats in the regional parliament—up from 28 in the outgoing assembly—according to near-final official results with 99% of ballots counted.

The outcome suggests that the traditional party of the Spanish right will need the backing of the far-right Vox party to form a government. Vox increased its representation sharply, rising from five to 11 seats with nearly 17% of the vote.

The Socialist Party (PSOE), by contrast, lost 14 percentage points and 10 seats. With just under 26% of the vote, it will hold only 18 seats in a region long considered one of its strongholds and which it governed until 2023.

The snap election in the largely agricultural region of around one million residents was the first to be held since a court ordered former transport minister Jose Luis Abalos—a close ally of Sanchez—to stand trial in a corruption case.

Abalos, who is currently in pretrial detention, is accused of taking bribes in exchange for awarding public contracts. Prosecutors are seeking a 24-year prison sentence. The PSOE, which he joined in 1981, has expelled him from the party.

Other corruption investigations have also targeted prime minister Sanchez’s wife, as well as his elder brother, the composer and orchestra conductor David Sanchez.