Spainish opposition parties warned acting Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy that he would face a challenging second term if, as expected, he wins a parliamentary confidence vote today after losing a first ballot on Thursday.
The Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE) has agreed to abstain in the second vote, which was called automatically after Rajoy fell six votes short of the majority he needed in Thursday’s first parliamentary vote.
The Socialists’ planned abstention today, when Rajoy only needs more votes in favor than against, should allow him to form a minority conservative government and end more than 300 days of political paralysis.
Socialist leaders made it clear during a heated debate on Thursday, in which fellow opposition party Podemos at one point stormed out of the chamber, that they would not give Rajoy a free hand to govern and would fight his austerity policies.
Rajoy’s People’s Party (PP) won two national elections in December last year and June, but without a majority, and efforts to form a coalition in a fragmented parliament failed. On Wednesday, he urged opponents to work with him to avoid yet another election in the near future.
During a second term, Rajoy, who has led the PP since 2004, will need support from opposition parties to pass legislation to tackle mounting challenges and restore Spain’s international stature.
A top priority will be shrinking Spain’s budget deficit to meet next year’s target agreed with Brussels, which requires at least 5 billion euros (US$5.45 billion) of either cuts or extra revenue.
“You will not dominate parliament, the majority you lack will triumph and a lot of the time it will align with the PSOE,” said Antonio Hernando, a senior Socialist member.
The Socialists remain deeply split over their abstention in today’s vote, approved by a majority of their senior members on Sunday last week. The party’s Catalan wing has already said it will vote “no.”
The former Socialist party leader, Pedro Sanchez, who resigned on Oct. 1 after a party revolt over his refusal to enable a Rajoy-led government, could resign his seat in parliament before the vote to avoid having to break with his party’s line on abstaining, a party source close to Sanchez said.
Sanchez would then campaign to be nominated again as party leader at a party conference in coming months, the source said.
Rajoy on Thursday urged the Socialists and Podemos not to reverse his economic reforms.
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