Spanish PM to face vote of confidence in parliament on Friday
Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy will face a vote of confidence in parliament in the coming days as allegations of corruption against members of his center-right People’s Party (PP) threaten his rule.
Members of Spain’s parliament agreed on Monday to hold the debate and vote of confidence on Thursday and Friday.
The vote was proposed by the opposition Socialists after the results of a long-running corruption trial were announced on Thursday, in which 29 people linked to the PP were convicted of crimes, including influence-peddling and falsifying accounts.
Rajoy, 63, whose government has been weakened by the corruption allegations and a political standoff in Catalonia, has resisted calls to resign, saying none of the convictions were related to members of his government. He said Friday that he would survive the upcoming no-confidence vote as he did last June.
Rajoy, in power since 2011, has also rejected calls for an early poll by Ciudadanos (Citizens), a liberal party ahead in opinion surveys and the most likely to win a snap election. Rajoy said he would serve out his four-year term while senior PP members have also closed ranks behind him.
Ciudadanos leader Albert Rivera said that Rajoy’s mandate as prime minister had been weakened by the corruption convictions against PP members.
“The only democratic and dignified way out is to give voice to the Spanish people so that they choose a new government and parliament,” Rivera said in a recent interview.
The Socialists may need to gain the support of other parties to oust Rajoy in the Friday vote. Ciudadanos leaders have announced that they will cooperate with the Socialists to name a neutral figure to replace Rajoy. But, they have yet to officially declare their intention to team up against Rajoy’s government.
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