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Still no date for Socialists to decide whether or not to allow Rajoy to govern

Xinhua, October 11, 2016 Adjust font size:

The Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE) Management Committee held its second meeting on Monday, but was unable to fix a date when the party will decide whether or not to allow People's Party Leader Mariano Rajoy to form a minority government.

The Committee, which was set up following Pedro Sanchez's resignation as party leader 10 days ago and is presided over by Javier Fernandez, decided the Federal Committee, which makes that decision has to meet after Oct. 15, which is when primaries are held to elect the new party leader.

With any new government having to be formed before Oct. 31 that means a lot of things have to happen in a short space of time to avoid a third general election within a year being called in Spain.

Between Oct. 15 and Oct. 31, the Socialists would have to decide the posture at the Federal Committee; before King Felipe VI calls another round of talks with party leaders an investiture debate (probably two) is held in the Spanish Congress.

A PSOE abstention in a second investiture vote would allow Rajoy to form a minority government. In an interview with the El Pais newspaper on Monday, Fernandez again said that although it is an option he doesn't like, it is the only one open to the party at the moment.

"All other options have proved to be impossible, and now we need to make a crash landing into reality," he said, explaining there was "no left-wing alternative to a PP government," but insisting, "to abstain is not the same as to support."

The Management Committee did make two significant changes to the PSOE organization on Monday, replacing Sanchez supporter, Oscar Lopez, as Parliamentary spokesperson in the Senate with Vicente Alvarez Areces and naming Ramos Jauregui as the party spokesman in the European Parliament. Endit