Off the wire
• Bus arson suspect in N.W China sent to procuratorate  • Commercial flights between Kazakhstan, Egypt to resume in March  • Egypt police says criminal, revenge motives behind Italian student's death  • China's manufacturing hub reports robust GDP growth  • China's health authority warns of Zika spread as weather warms  • Shanghai SIPG falls to Melbourne Victory in AFC Champions League opener  • China separates football association from government (updated)  • China rolls out more support for new energy vehicles  • Feature: Handmade tweed money spinner for island communities  • China to train more pediatricians  
You are here: 　 Home

Socialists, Citizens sign pact ahead of Spain's investiture debate

Xinhua, February 24, 2016 Adjust font size:

The leader of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE), Pedro Sanchez, and leader of center-right party Citizens (Ciudadanos) Albert Rivera, signed an agreement on Wednesday to work together in a "reformist and progressive" government, local media reported.

The pact was signed after the two leaders met on Tuesday to agree on its terms, which include introducing several key reforms to the 1978 Spanish Constitution, the two parties confirmed.

The agreement is the first step towards Sanchez being able to win the investiture debate, which will begin in the 350-seat congress on March 1, and subsequently being named as Spain's next Prime Minister.

However, given the PSOE won only 90 seats in the December 20 general election and Citizens just 40, Sanchez is still considerably short of the absolute majority he needs to win the first investiture vote, which will be held on March 2, or even the simple majority he would need to win a second vote on March 5.

In order to gain an absolute majority, the PSOE still need the support of left-wing party Podemos whose spokesperson Irene Montero commented on Spanish national radio station RNE that a "government of change" was still possible.

Although there were major differences in economic policy between themselves and the PSOE, Podemos would "give everything" to try and reach an agreement, according to Irene Montero. Endit