"Entering an alliance with a party that has put cordon sanitaire around the Socialist Party is not part of my plans," Sanchez said at the start of Tuesday's second televised debate between himself and three other party leaders.

The Socialists are front runners for the election but will not win enough seats to govern on their own. Ciudadanos, or Citizens, has previously said it will not join any coalition led by Sanchez.

Copyright Reuters, 2019