Spain’s Socialist Leader Fails in Effort to Become Prime Minister

[Recursion]

Source: NYT

Spain’s Parliament on Wednesday handed a defeat to the leader of the Socialist party in the first round of his long-shot attempt to become the country’s next prime minister.

Even though the party leader, Pedro Sánchez, will get another opportunity on Friday, when Parliament will hold a second round of voting, the result is likely to be the same. In turn, that would then raise significantly the likelihood of new elections in June to help break the deadlock among four main parties — the outcome of the last election just a few months ago.

Mr. Sánchez won 130 votes on Wednesday, short of the 176 votes that he needed to form a majority coalition. His votes came from lawmakers from his own Socialist party, as well as those of Ciudadanos, or Citizens, a center-right party that recently reached a coalition deal with Mr. Sánchez.

But conservative lawmakers from the Popular Party of Mariano Rajoy, the incumbent prime minister, as well as those from the left-wing Podemos Party, led the voting against Mr. Sánchez.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/03/world/europe/effort-to-form-a-government-fails-in-spain.html?_r=0

[Ghost Dog]

1. Waiting

INVESTITURE DEBATE
... The leader of left-wing anti-austerity group Podemos, Pablo Iglesias, had already announced that he would be rejecting the bid between the PSOE and Ciudadanos to form a minority government, and as such would vote against Sánchez’s first attempt to become prime minister. All other parties in Spain’s Congress followed suit, leaving Sánchez with just 90 votes from his own group and 40 from Ciudadanos, well short of the 176 he needed for a majority and with 219 votes in total against him and one abstention...

... After Wednesday’s marathon session, the Podemos leader called on all the forces across the leftist spectrum to sit down and negotiate from a position of “equality and joint responsibility.” The emerging political force is determined to form a “government of progress” with representatives from the PSOE, Podemos, United Left and Compromís. “From Friday,” Iglesias told reporters, “it would be good news to hear that all of the forces for a progressive coalition government have met.”...

/... http://elpais.com/m/elpais/2016/03/03/inenglish/1456991257_812609.html

[muriel_volestrangler]

2. Spain election: Socialists' coalition bid rejected again

Spain's Socialist leader Pedro Sanchez has failed for the second time in a week to form a government after his proposal was defeated by parliament.

In a 219-131 vote, MPs rejected Mr Sanchez's proposed coalition cabinet with the centre-right Ciudadanos party.

If MPs fail to choose a government by 2 May, a snap poll will be held in June.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-35732513