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Spanish acting PM says not to impose conditions on PSOE for investiture

Xinhua, October 6, 2016 Adjust font size:

Spanish Acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said on Thursday that he would not impose any conditions on the Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE) for their abstention in a theoretical investiture vote.

Speaking at an event in Malaga, Rajoy insisted the main issue was to avoid a third general election in Spain in less than 12 months.

"I will not put any conditions on the PSOE to negotiate the investiture," repeated the People's Party (PP) leader on three occasions during his speech.

"The best thing would be a government which offers stability and security," added Rajoy, said the "priority is to form a government...in order to pass the budget for which we only need more votes in favor than against."

Rajoy said he would have a conversation with Javier Fernandez, president of the PSOE management committee, as soon as he can.

"We have time, not too much time, but we have time and Spain needs a government quickly," commented Rajoy.

The leader of the PP, who have 137 seats in the 350-member Congress, tried but failed to win an investiture vote at the end of August as the Socialists (who have 85 seats) voted against him.

However, the political situation has changed dramatically last weekend with the resignation of Pedro Sanchez as PSOE leader and the installation of a management committee headed by Fernandez, to run party affairs.

Sanchez had been strongly opposed to allowing Rajoy to govern, but was ousted by supporters of Susana Diaz, the leader of the party in Andalusia.

Diaz is in favor of permitting the PP to return to power to avoid a potentially disastrous general election result for the Socialists.

Fernandez has already dropped hints that the PSOE is now be willing to abstain in an investiture vote in order to allow Rajoy to form a minority government. Endit