World Bulletin / News Desk

The leader of Spain’s Socialist party, Pedro Sanchez, has resigned Saturday evening after a tense 11-hour committee meeting with his feuding party.

His resignation signals that Spain, which has not had a functioning government for more than nine months, is a step closer to forming one.

Sanchez has been highly opposed to allowing the conservative Mariano Rajoy govern, and has been seeking alternative left-wing projects to break Spain’s political deadlock.

Earlier this week, however, 17 members of the Socialist executive committee resigned.

His Socialist opponents wanted to avoid new elections at all costs, which includes supporting a government led by Rajoy’s Popular Party.

Sanchez, who has led the party since 2014, resigned after he lost the support of the majority of his party -- 133 members of its federal committee voted against his strategy while 107 voted in favor, according to Spanish media.

The Socialist Party (PSOE) is the main opposition in Spain’s currently parliament, which has gone more than nine months and two elections without a functioning government.

Lawmakers have until Oct. 31 to agree on a government or Spanish voters will be forced to go to the polls for the third time in less than a year.

Throughout Saturday’s meeting, hundreds of protestors flocked outside of the Socialist headquarters in Madrid.

Overwhelmingly, they were there to show their support for Sanchez -- calling the Socialists who contributed to Sanchez’s fall “coup leaders” and “rats.”