No agreement in sight as time runs out for Rajoy

Time is running out for acting Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy as he prepares to face an investiture debate in Congress on Aug. 29 and 30.

Rajoy's People's Party (PP) and center-right force Ciudadanos have spent the past week locked in talks to try and hash out a deal that would see Ciudadanos give their support to Rajoy in the investiture debate. However, with time running out until a Saturday deadline set by Ciudadanos, no agreement is in sight.

"I think it is impossible for us to sign this agreement because the postures are still a long way apart in some questions," Ciudadanos Assistant Secretary General Jose Manuel Villegas told the press on Friday.

Villagas, who is leading the Ciudadanos negotiating team, added that although "sometimes these things can be cleared up quickly," at the moment it was "impossible" to sign the accord.

The proposed pact includes plans for electoral reform and anti-corruption measures, as well as economic and social questions put forward by Ciudadanos.

"We are talking about negotiations to permit the investiture, but for us to lend our support, there have to be some concrete promises on the economy and not merely declarations of intent. We know we are not going to be able to implement our economic program, but there is a long way between that and us supporting the PP," explained Villagas.

If talks fail, Spain faces its third general election in 12 months. The electoral calendar schedule would mean the vote would fall on Christmas Day -- Dec. 25 -- which would be hugely unpopular.

However, even if the PP and Ciudadanos are able to come to an agreement, the total of Ciudadanos 32 seats and the PP's 137 still leaves them short of the 176 needed to win a majority without the support or abstention of one of Spain's other parties, something that looks very unlikely at the moment. Endit