SPAIN'S president Mariano Rajoy has spoken to his cabinet after the regional and local elections in a much-anticipated meeting after the PP lost 2.5 million votes and saw its outright majority in the country's 17 federal communities disappear overnight.
Rajoy said unnecessarily that the results were 'not what he had hoped for', although thanked the six million voters who had 'shown their confidence' in the party.
But the fact the PP still earned the highest number of votes 'proves it is still the favourite' for 'the Spanish', said Rajoy.
"The PP's victory is unquestionable, but we have not attained the majorities that the people of Spain gave us four years ago, so we are not satisfied - denying this is as absurd as denying we've won the elections," the president commented.
"I'm not going to shield myself from the disappointment by reminding myself we're the most-voted-for party, because we want more. The PP will continue to work either as government or as opposition for Spain's recovery - our aim is for people's quality of life to improve."
Rajoy continued to stress the importance of 'stability' in government because 'economic recovery is easier this way' and that consistency in ruling is 'valuable'.
"When it comes to negotiating pacts or coalitions, our philosophy is the creation of transparent and stable alliances, but always respecting the most-voted candidate lists," Rajoy continued.
Echoing the words of the winning candidate for Madrid's regional presidency, Cristina Cifuentes, Rajoy admitted the PP needed to be 'closer to the people' and that it suffered from 'communication problems', but said the poor results would not have any negative consequences for the government itself or the PP.
"I've been with this party for many years and I'm very comfortable and content here. I have no plans to make changes - I don't believe the problems come from changing or not changing, and I intend to run for presidency again at the general elections."
He has finally admitted that the corruption cases blighting members of the PP had indeed affected the results of the local and regional elections, but insisted that those which had come to light in the months leading up to the elections dated back from 'a very long time ago'.
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