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Opinion poll sees Spanish PP lose support as corruption crisis bites

Xinhua, February 15, 2016 Adjust font size:

An opinion poll published in the conservative Spanish newspaper ABC on Monday shows that the Peoples' Party (PP) of Mariano Rajoy has lost support since the Dec. 20 general election.

The February poll carried out by the GAD3 group for the newspaper shows support for the PP dropping from 28.7 percent they received in the Dec. 20 general election, to 27.9 percent should the election be repeated now.

This fall in support comes in the wake of the revelations of further corruption scandals involving Rajoy's party in the regions of Valencia and Madrid, where the PP offices were raided by Civil Guards last week as part of an investigation into the illegal financing of the party.

Sunday saw veteran politician Esperanza Aguirre, a former president of the Madrid Autonomous Community and minister for education, resign as the president of the Madrid branch of the party on Sunday afternoon, explaining that she "should have kept closer vigilance" on the accounts of her party.

The poll shows that the votes lost by the PP would cost them four seats in a theoretical new Congress, with 119 members rather than today's 123. Their support would go to the center-right Citizens, who would have 44 members rather than today's 40.

Meanwhile as Socialist (PSOE) leader Pedro Sanchez continues talks to form a coalition government, the ABC poll shows support for the Socialists dropping from 22 percent in December to 20.8 percent now, with left wing Podemos gaining popularity from 20.7 to 21.4 percent and seeing their representation rise by six seats, from 69 to 75, while the Socialists would lose six deputies.

Despite these changes however, the overall balance in Congress is not significantly altered as no pact PP-Citizens or PSOE-Podemos would be enough to produce a majority of 176 seats in the 350 seat Congress and a new election would probably lead to a political stalemate similar to the one Spain is currently experiencing. Endit