Spain’s prime minister calls snap election after heavy regional losses

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Monday called a snap election for July 23, a day after his left-wing coalition government suffered heavy losses in regional ballots.

Sanchez had said on numerous occasions that he wanted to see out a full term in office and that elections would take place in December, near the end of his rotating presidency of the European Union, which begins on July 1.

It is highly unusual for a Spanish government to call a snap ballot after a poor performance in…