Rajoy admits the need to “dialogue more” to reach agreements

Barcelona (CNA).- Current Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy admitted “it won’t be easy” to deal with the new political scenario after the 20-D Spanish Elections and added that it will be necessary “to talk a lot and dialogue more” to reach “agreements”. Rajoy’s party, the conservative People’s Party (PP), won the 2015 general elections but were far from the absolute majority they obtained in 2011. They lost more than 3.5 million votes and 63 MPs in comparison to the last Spanish Elections and obtained 123 MPs from the 350 in the Spanish Parliament, which means that even reaching an agreement with anti-Catalan nationalism Ciutadans (40 MPs) won’t achieve an absolute majority. Alternative left Podemos' leader assured that the celebration of a referendum in Catalonia is "indispensable" and considered this proposal a condition to reach any hypothetic agreement with them.

“The party which wins the elections has to try to form government” stated Rajoy. “I’ll try to form government and I believe Spain needs a stable government” he admitted, since “many things have been carried out during these four years, the Spanish citizens have made many efforts and now it is time to persist”. According to Rajoy, “Spain needs seriousness, security, certainty and trust” and therefore he bids for a government which will have “as its only objective to serve the general interests of all Spanish citizens”.

PSOE would consider it “treason” to make Rajoy President

The Spanish Socialist Party ran second in the 20-D Spanish Elections and obtained 90 seats, 20 less than in 2011. “Spain turns to the left, Spain calls for change” stated PSOE’s general secretary Pedro Sánchez “a new political era starts in Spain in which imposition will have to be left behind”.

As a PP-PSOE agreement would be the only one which would allow the investiture of Rajoy as President in the first round, PSOE members have already expressed their position. “People have voted PSOE to chase Rajoy out and we have to be faithful to our voters” stated PSOE member Emiliano García Page “not doing so would be treason”. “The PSOE doesn’t aim to rule at any price” he concluded. Page also rejected a possible left-wing alliance.

Representatives from the PSOE in Andalusia, the Autonomous Community where the Socialists have the greatest support, also expressed their position regarding Catalonia’s push for independence. “We defend the welfare state and, of course, the unity of the national territory”. In relation to this, PSOE member Antonio Pradas assured that, as opposed to Podemos’ strategy, the PSOE won’t make “any concession” to Catalonia.

Podemos: “Catalonia is a nation”

“A new Spain has been born” stated Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias, a “new political era” which marks the end “of the alternate political system”. Iglesias also emphasised his party’s commitment to Catalonia’s right to decide. “We want Catalonia to stay but we want Catalonia to vote” he assured and insisted on their bid to celebrate a binding referendum. “Catalonia is a nation and it has to have a different constitutional fitting” he stated and pointed out that Podemos is “the only state party able to lead a territorial agreement which would respect Spain’s pluri-nationality”. Besides in Catalonia, Podemos was the leading force in the Spanish Elections in the Basque country, a region which has traditionally had strong nationalist aspirations.

Podemos represents the ‘indignados’ movement, which calls for a political revolution which will lead to social change in Spain. They had already showed their strength and popular support in the past European and local elections, obtaining major mayoralties such as those of Madrid and Barcelona, led by social activist Ada Colau. They obtained more than 5 million votes, which translates into 69 MPs in the Spanish Parliament.

Regarding a possible agreement between Podemos and the PSOE, Iglesias stated that it was time for “constitutional reforms rather than agreements”. “Spain has voted for social change” and for “guaranteeing the basic rights through the Constitution”, he concluded.

Ciutadans: “We are the political centre”

Ciutadans leader Albert Rivera assured that the party will dialogue with those who “defend legality, the Constitution, democracy and the union of all the Spanish”. “We have told Spain and the whole of Europe that the political centre exists and it is called Ciutadans” he assured. According to Rivera, a new era “full of hope and exctiement” has started in Spain as “millions of Spanish have voted for change”.

Nearly 3.5 million Spaniards voted for Ciutadans, in this the first time they have ran for the Spanish Elections, and they obtained 40 MPs. In Catalonia, they got 13% of the vote. However, due to their good result in the recent 27-S Catalan elections and their positioning as the renewal of Spanish politics, many polls forecast a greater result for Ciutadans. “These 40 MPs will be decisive” stated Rivera.