Off the wire
• Profile: King Mohammed VI of Morocco  • Brunei to hold national economic census this month  • Intense battles rage around airbase in Syria's Homs  • Chinese property outlook stable, but pressure remains: Moody's  • President Xi stresses innovation to bolster economy  • Farm produce prices fall for fifth straight week  • Weather forecast for world cities -- May 10  • EU pledges support for stabilization of Somalia  • Weather forecast for major Chinese cities, regions -- May 10  • Southern African broadcasters launches news service link  
You are here: 　 Home

Spanish left wing parties agree electoral pact

Xinhua, May 10, 2016 Adjust font size:

Spanish left wing political parties, Podemos and Izquierda Unida (United Left), announced an agreement late on Monday night to present a joint candidacy at the June 26 general elections.

The move is potentially significant as recent opinion polls show that a Podemos/IU candidacy would be Spain's second political force at the forthcoming election.

That means that if acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's Peoples Party were unable to form a government, as was the case following the December 20 election, then King Felipe VI would in theory have to ask Podemos/IU to try and reach agreement with other parties over a coalition pact, rather than the Socialists as happened following the last election.

The December 2015 general election saw Podemos win 5,212,711 votes to earn 69 seats in the Spanish Congress, while IU had just 2 seats, despite 926,783 people voting for them.

Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias said it would "be an honor to walk together," with IU saying the pact was "that a political space has been born today that can beat the People's Party," in June.

Meanwhile, IU leader Alberto Garzon, who has the highest approval ratings of all Spain's party leaders said the two parties were united by "our enormous desire to serve our people, the popular classes." Endit