Rajoy: "Support the PP or Spain will need a third election"
Thursday, July 14, 2016 @ 8:03 PM
ACTING president Mariano Rajoy (PP) is aiming to be invested as the country's leader again on August 2, giving the other parties 20 days to react.
He has warned his immediate rival, left-wing PSOE leader Pedro Sánchez, and the head of centre-right Ciudadanos, Albert Rivera that if they do not vote in his favour, Spain will have to go through to a third general election.
Sánchez has repeated his refusal to support Rajoy's bid to serve a second term in office, telling him to seek out political allies first.
Rajoy's only possible ally is Ciudadanos, and Rivera has not made it clear yet whether he and his 31 MPs intend to vote against the PP, or abstain in the in-house elections to help ensure Rajoy has a majority in his favour.
The PP leader was initially aiming at July 25 or 26 for his presidential vote, but has extended it by another week.
Of the 350 MPs, Rajoy needs votes in his favour from 176, which appears unlikely at present.
If he does not achieve this, a second in-house election will be held 48 hours later, probably on Friday, August 5, where he will only need more 'yes' votes than 'no' votes rather than an outright majority.
Read more at thinkSPAIN.com