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Spanish Socialist leader Sanchez mulls future after poor regional results

Xinhua, September 26, 2016 Adjust font size:

Socialist Party (PSOE) leader Pedro Sanchez on Monday issued a call to his party to either back him or sack him.

Sanchez said he was willing to put his leadership to the vote at a primary election for party leader to be held at a PSOE federal congress on Oct. 23.

Sanchez made the statement in the wake of the disastrous results obtained by the PSOE in the Basque and Galician regional elections on Sunday.

The PSOE won just 11.94 percent of the vote in the Basque Region and 17.88 percent in Galicia, where they were beaten into third place by left-wing Podemos.

These results follow the PSOE's two worst-ever general election results, which saw them win 90 out of 350 seats in congress in December 2015 vote and just 85 in the June 26 election.

The results have caused divisions among Socialists with some regional leaders believing the party should abstain in an investiture vote to allow People's Party leader Mariano Rajoy to form a minority government, while Sanchez wants to negotiate a coalition with other parties.

"It is evident that there are those who do not think the same as I do, who think that we should abstain and that we should not even think about trying to form a government with just 85 deputies," said Sanchez.

"I am willing to assume responsibility. I realize there is a debate after seeing the declarations of important regional leaders that is opening a division which will harm us electorally and that is why I am doing this," he added.

Sanchez called for party unity, saying it needed to speak with "one voice." Enditem