MADRID, Aug 20 (Reuters) - Spain's Socialist party rejecteda re-worked offer on Tuesday to form a coalition government withthe far-left Unidas Podemos that could have mapped a way out ofa four-month political hiatus that began with an inconclusivenational election.
Socialist leader and caretaker prime minister Pedro Sanchezhas been trying to rally support among parliamentarians toconfirm him as premier since April, when voters gave his partymore support than any other, but not enough to command amajority.
Podemos repeated on Tuesday an offer to form a coalition, oncondition it could name one deputy prime minister and threecabinet ministers.
"The Socialist party considers (this) coalition unworkable,"it said in a statement, suggesting Podemos and its allies try tofind another way to support a new administration.
The statement said the party agreed with a lot of theprogrammes Podemos put forward on Tuesday, which include afurther hike to the recently-raised minimum wage and moreambitious targets for renewable energy generation.
But two failed attempts to form a government in July showedthat they could not govern in coalition, the Socialists said.
Even if they reconciled their differences, the Socialistsand Podemos would need the cooperation of other parties togovern.
Sanchez has failed twice to persuade to back him with theirvotes, and now has until late September to avoid anotherelection.
After losing the second vote, he blamed Podemos leader PabloIglesias for making unacceptable demands.
Iglesias had relinquished a demand to hold a cabinet posthimself, ceding to objections from Sanchez, who citeddifferences between the two including on how to deal with asecession bid in the region of Catalonia.(Reporting by Isla Binnie and Belen Carreno; editing by JamesDrummond)