Onlookers fear for Spain’s political certainty following its surprise election result on December 20.
Advertisement
Pentagon report to Congress says violence in Afghanistan is on the rise
Many of those who had declared allegiance to IS were “disenfranchised Taliban” from both sides of the border, Campbell said. For months, the Afghan forces – occupied with fighting elsewhere – had let the two groups fight each other, Campbell said.
If Rajoy’s PP is unable to form a government, the Socialists may attempt to build a left-wing coalition.
Star Wars overtakes Jurassic World for biggest global debut
Oscar Isaac was shocked when “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” director changed his mind and wrote him a longer role in the movie. They were so great, in fact, that it managed to topple the record previously held by ” Jurassic World “.
With 99.9 percent of the vote counted, the Popular Party won 123 seats in the 350-member lower house of parliament – far below the 186-seat majority it won four years ago after beating the Socialists in a landslide.
Prosecutor says no indictment in Sandra Bland jail death
Three days later, she was found dead in her cell. “We would love to speak with the family”, a special prosecutor said. Since first pulling over Bland last summer, Texas state trooper Brian Encinia has remained on paid desk duty.
Socialist (PSOE) chief Pedro Sanchez, the 43-year-old economist who only last year took over a party still reeling from its 2011 defeat, has promised to reinstate the rights of workers and immigrants he says have been trampled on.
“The message in Catalonia is that the pro-independence parties have won less votes than in September’s elections”, said Lorenzo Navarrete, a professor of sociology at Madrid’s Complutense University.
The results of the most-closely fought elections in modern history create huge uncertainty for a country only just starting to recover from a devastating financial crisis, and the Spanish stock market slumped 2.5 percent at the start of trading.
The far-left Podemos party gained 69 seats for third place, making it a possible kingmaker, while the centrist, business-friendly Ciudadanos party got an influential 40 seats.
So this political shakeup is obviously big news for Spain-but it could signal bigger changes in Europe, too.
Under the Spanish constitution, King Felipe VI will first invite a party leader – normally from the party with the most votes – to form a government. As a result there is no obvious stable coalition that can form the government.
“The Popular Party needs to try to form a government”.
“This party is still the No. 1 force in Spain”, Rajoy said.
However, I can also tell you that the Socialist Party will vote “no* to Rajoy’s candidacy for Prime Minister.” said Cesar Luena from the Socialist Party. This socio-political project held sway for almost four decades, with the established parties championing it. But the European economic crisis, which particularly hit Spain hard, and the conservative response of the main political parties towards the crisis, along with a generational change in Spanish society, seems to have ruptured the status quo. Podemos also expressed they would not allow a government that included the PP. “We have to give the new parties a chance”, said gray-haired truck driver Francisco Perez, 53, after voting for Podemos in L’Hospitalet de Llobregat.
Rivera said a left-wing coalition of up to 11 parties would not be viable. The nominated leader must garner a majority of deputies’ votes in Parliament in a first round to take office, or the most votes in the second round.
If there is still deadlock after two months, the monarch calls a new election – probably in April or May.
Advertisement
If the parties fail to come to an agreement before the two-month deadline between the first parliamentary session and the election of the president, the Spanish king can dissolve parliament and declare new elections.
