Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s Socialist party won a key vote in the country’s fragmented parliament, handing the caretaker leader a major boost in his bid to retain the job.

In the tightest election for lower house speaker since the return of democracy in the late 1970s, Socialist candidate Francina Armengol won the vote Thursday in the 350-strong chamber with 178 votes, enough for an absolute majority, beating opponent Cuca Gamarra of the conservative People’s Party.

Sanchez and his main rival, Alberto Nunez Feijoo of the PP, are both vying to gain enough support from lawmakers to secure the job of prime minister following July’s election stalemate. Thursday’s ballot was seen as providing a first indication of whether Sanchez can muster enough backing to remain in power.

Last month’s inconclusive election handed the country’s left- and right-wing blocs roughly the same amount of seats and made a handful of representatives from smaller parties potential kingmakers.

Armengol’s victory was bolstered by backing from Catalan pro-independence group Junts, led by former Catalan regional President Carles Puigdemont. The party has seven lawmakers.

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When it come to the vote for prime minister, Feijoo’s party and two other parties have a clear chance of combining for 171 votes, while Sanchez is expected to get 172 from a group of allies, including the Basque nationalist PNV. The seven Junts lawmakers and the one deputy from the Canary Islands’ CC could potentially break the deadlock.

Puigdemont, who has been on the run from Spanish courts since 2017 and living in Belgium, said Wednesday that talks on picking the speaker were completely separate from those to choose a premier.

(Updates to add vote count in second paragraph)