Tag: Cortes Generales

The lower house of the Spanish parliament is debating whether to end Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy’s close to eight years in power and supplant him with the leader of the Socialist opposition. (Francisco Seco/Associated Press) MADRID — The rhetoric in Spain’s political crisis, in which Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy faces a no-confidence vote amid a corruption scandal engulfing his party, is turning ugly. The PP then struck back, saying the alternative would be for opposition Socialist leader Pedro Sanchez to head a “Frankenstein government” supported by anti-establishment and regional politicians that would be doomed to failure. While Rajoy’s chances of political survival have been dealt a severe blow, the veteran politician is fighting back. Spanish media dissected the case, from an unprecedented raid at PP’s national headquarters, to the destruction of hard drives there, and even published a barrage of private messages between Rajoy and Barcenas. All major parties have called for Rajoy to step down, but the prime minister has fended off pressure saying that political instability is bad for the country and for the economies in Spain and the European Union. Backed by his party and the far-left anti-establishment Podemos, Sanchez was due to speak Thursday in a bid to convince Catalan and Basque nationalist lawmakers to support his government plan and achieve at least 176 of the 350 votes needed to supplant Rajoy. The key is in the hands of the Basque Nationalist Party, or PNV, which has yet to decide how it will vote in Friday’s motion. “But it’s definitely the beginning of the end of Rajoy and his Popular Party.” If the Basques support the Socialists motion and their leader wins, Sanchez would take over from Rajoy immediately and possibly be sworn in as early as next Monday. But a minority Socialist Cabinet would be a “Frankenstein government,” as the Popular Party has characterized it, with hard to please nationalists and anti-austerity lawmakers.