Spain PM Mariano Rajoy faces defeat in Friday no-confidence vote

Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy is likely to be forced out of office after a key party said it would support a motion of no confidence against him.

The no-confidence vote is scheduled to take place on Friday and was tabled by the opposition Socialist party.

Socialist leader Pedro Sánchez needs a majority of 176 votes to become leader.

The Basque Nationalist Party (PNV) has said that it will support the motion, which may then propel Mr Sánchez into office.

The party holds a crucial five seats in parliament and announced its intentions on Thursday.

Mr Sánchez has called on Mr Rajoy to step down ahead of the vote, but he has so far refused to do so.

Why was the vote called?

Mr Sánchez tabled the motion of no confidence after Mr Rajoy's centre-right People's Party (PP) was implicated in a huge corruption scandal.

He said Mr Rajoy had failed to take responsibility for his party's involvement, which came to light last week after one of its former treasurers was given a 33-year jail sentence.

The High Court in Madrid convicted Luis Bárcenas of receiving bribes, money laundering and tax crimes.

The case centred on a secret campaign fund the PP ran from 1999 until 2005.

Many Spanish voters, exasperated by corruption scandals involving the traditional centre-right PP and centre-left Socialist parties, have abandoned them for newcomers like the left-wing Podemos (We Can) and centrist Ciudadanos (Citizens), as well as regional parties.

Could Mariano Rajoy step down?

"Resign, Mr Rajoy, your time is up. Resign and this no-confidence motion ends here, today and now," Mr Sánchez said during the debate in parliament on Thursday.

"Staying on as prime minister is harmful and is a burden not only for Spain but also for your party."

Mr Rajoy insisted he would stay put, adding: "Why should I have to resign, if for now I still have the trust of the house, and the trust awarded to me at the ballot boxes? You are the one who should be resigning around here."

However, it was later confirmed that the PNV would support the no-confidence motion, effectively forcing Mr Rajoy from office.

"We believe we are responding to what most Basques want and best complying with our responsibility by voting yes (to the motion)," said party spokesman Aitor Esteban.

The PM did not return to parliament on Thursday afternoon, raising further speculation about his intentions.

Comments

Yakubu Dogara congratulates wife, Gimbiya, as she is a year older

Speaker of the house, Federal Republic of Nigeria, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara, has congratulated his wife, Gimbiya, as she is a year older and the speaker has taken his time to shower some accolades on her. Dogara said"Happy birthday to Virtuous woman, the rock of my family and the love of my life. Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself as you continue to flourish like a palm tree bearing fruits in season and out of season." The wife of Bukola Saraki, Toyin Saraki, also congratulated Dogara's wife on her twitter account. She (Toyin) said"Happy Birthday to my dear sister, Mrs. Gimbiya- blessed to know you, even more blessed by your friendship. May all your years be blessed. Happy Eld too! Amen!

Job alert: Vacancy For A Senior Registrar At Careclick Technologies.

Careclick continues to pioneer and provide a whole range of Telehealth equipment and technologies that provide consultation and support our subscribers all through their entire patient experience including applications, devices, carts, kiosks and other specialized innovative medical devices. We are recruiting to fill the position below: Job Title : Senior Registrar Location : Lagos preferred but not subject to location. Job type : Contract Job Descriptions • A Digital Healthcare company is looking for Senior Registrars in any specialty in Medicine from an accredited health institution. • Basically, the job will be to offer clinical, diagnostic and therapeutic advice and consultations through our Online Medical Platform for non-emergency health conditions in line with their specialty of residency. Requirements • Part 1 Fellowship is required. • Must be highly skilled, must have compl...

Laurent Koscielny is leaving us to join Ligue 1 side Bordeaux, Club confirms.

The centre back has made 353 appearances for us since signing from Lorient in 2010. He was part of our Emirates FA Cup-winning squads in 2014, 2015 and 2017. Laurent, who started his career in the French second division at Guingamp in 2004, has played 51 matches for France and was entering the final year of his current contract with us. "We decided to sanction his move to Bordeaux once we agreed acceptable transfer terms. "We thank Laurent for his contribution to the club and wish him all the best for the future", Arsenal confirms. The Gunners have reportedly agreed £4.6million for their captain as they are set to sign Bordeaux defender, Dayot Upamecano. The transfer is subject to the completion of regulatory processes.

Gistyoublog

Search This Blog