Spanish MPs were expected yesterday to reject the acting prime minister’s bid to form a government, deepening the political crisis and triggering a countdown to a third election within a year.
Mariano Rajoy is six votes short of securing a vote of confidence for his government in the 350-seat chamber after two elections in which his conservative Popular Party (PP) won but fell short of an absolute majority.
The opposition Socialists have steadfastly refused to back Rajoy, whom they blame for corruption scandals and steep public spending cuts.
Socialist leader Pedro Sanchez repeated his intention to vote against Rajoy, insisting the PP leader “has no credibility”.
For his part, Rajoy has warned that the deadlock risks jeopardising Spain’s economy and accused the Socialists of “stubbornly wanting new elections”.
“It is hard to think of anything that could cause more damage to Spanish democracy than telling citizens that their vote has been useless on two occasions and that a general election needs to be held for a third time,” he said. And weary voters are growing increasingly frustrated with politicians and their inability to compromise to form a government.
Alicia Gomez, who works in a perfume shop near Madrid’s central Plaza Mayor, dismissed the politicians as all “playing for time”, saying she no longer trusted any of them.
“It’s a joke, it’s theatre. The politicians should stop right now and reach an agreement whether they like it or not!” fumed the 36-year-old.
Should Rajoy’s bid fail, as expected, the next step in the political drama will be in two day’s time when there will be a second parliamentary vote.
For the second vote, a simple majority would suffice, meaning the acting prime minister — who has secured the backing of centrist Ciudadanos and the vote of a lone nationalist lawmaker from the Canary Islands — would only need the Socialists to abstain.
If there is no breakthrough in the next two months, vote-weary Spaniards will be asked to return to the polls on December 25 — the date determined by timings laid out in Spanish election law.
But the Socialists and other parties have already proposed shortening the campaign so a repeat election could be held on December 18, in a sign that fresh polls are looming.
“Given the parties’ entrenched positions, a third round of elections” is now the most likely scenario, said Antonio Barroso, a Spanish political analyst at Teneo Intelligence, a think tank in London.
Spain suffered a painful economic slump when a housing bubble burst in 2008 but has bounced back to become of the eurozone’s most dynamic economies, growing for 12 straight quarters.
But the political stalemate has begun to show signs of taking its toll on the economy.
Although Rajoy remains in office as acting prime minister, he has no power to propose legislation or spend on new infrastructure projects such as roads and railways.
Spain’s public works ministry and the state companies it oversees spent 20% less on contracts in the first six months of this year than they did in 2015.
The lack of a fully-functioning government has also delayed the drafting of a 2017 budget, which needs to be approved by mid-October to comply with European Union rules.
One factor that could change the political calculus is the result of regional elections in the Basque Country on September 25. The Basque Nationalist Party (PNV), which has five seats, could support Rajoy nationally if it needs the backing of the PP to govern in the Basque Country following the regional polls.
The PNV has backed minority PP governments in the past but Rajoy angered the party during a debate in parliament by focusing on the defence of Spanish unity.
“You did not make a minimal effort to win our support,” Aitor Esteban, a party MP told Rajoy in parliament.
Spain’s acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy reacts during an investiture debate at parliament in Madrid yesterday.
