Spanish prime minister to face confidence vote on Friday

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Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy will face a vote of confidence in his leadership on Friday over corruption convictions against dozens of people linked to his center-right People's Party (PP).

Spain's parliament agreed on Monday that the debate and vote would take place on Thursday and Friday, although the opposition Socialists who proposed the vote may struggle to garner enough support in the fragmented legislature to unseat Rajoy, who has been in office for six years.

Albert Rivera, leader of the opposition center-right party "Ciudadanos" (Citizens) gives a press conference in Madrid, Spain, May 28, 2018. /VCG Photo

Opposition parties are taking advantage of Rajoy's weakness after 29 people linked to the PP were convicted last Thursday of crimes including influence-peddling and falsifying accounts, in the culmination of a long-running corruption trial.

The PP has closed ranks behind Rajoy, who said on Friday he intended to serve out his four-year term and that the corruption convictions did not affect a single member of his government.

The 63-year-old survived a no-confidence vote last June.

A poster on the gorund reads, "Out Rojoy" during a demonstration calling for vote of no confidence against Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy in Madrid, Spain, May 20, 2017. /VCG Photo

"We are deeply sorry that there were people who used the PP for self-enrichment," party spokesman Pablo Casado told a news conference on Monday, adding that the no-confidence vote was irresponsible and put Spain's economic stability at risk.

Spanish borrowing costs relative to Germany's rocketed to their widest differential since the start of the year, though they were also hit by concerns over political uncertainty in Italy.

Pressure from opposition

Ciudadanos (Citizens), a liberal party ahead in opinion surveys and the most likely to win a snap election, urged Rajoy on Monday to call an early poll, saying his government was weak and tainted by corruption.

The Socialists have proposed their leader Pedro Sanchez as a replacement for Rajoy.

Leader of Spanish Socialist Party PSOE, Pedro Sanchez, attends a press conference in Madrid, Spain, May 25, 2018. /VCG Photo

The socialist PSOE party, with just 84 seats in parliament, must get at least 176 votes to carry its proposal.

Leftist party Podemos, with 67 seats, has said it will support the motion, but that would not be sufficient.

The Socialists would also have to seek backing from small regional parties who would attach politically difficult conditions in return for their support such as the freedom of Catalan politicians from custody.

Catalan separatist supporters remove yellow crosses after a protest to demand the release of jailed Catalonian politicians, at Mataro's beach, north of Barcelona, Spain, May 27, 2018. /Reuters Photo

Ciudadanos said on Saturday it would be willing to work with the Socialists to support a neutral candidate to oust Rajoy, whose minority government has been damaged by a crisis sparked by Catalonia's independence vote.

However, Ciudadanos leader Albert Rivera said on Monday he was not prepared to seek pacts with "regional nationalists and populists" to oust Rajoy and that elections in the autumn would be preferable.

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Source(s): Reuters