Rajoy accepts King Felipe's nomination and could be president again by the weekend
Wednesday, October 26, 2016 @ 11:50 PM
ACTING president Mariano Rajoy (PP) has been formally nominated by King Felipe VI to form a government for the second time since the second general elections of the last 12 months – and with the PSOE's administration committee having voted to abstain in the presidential investiture, it looks as though the current leader could start his second term of office this weekend.
For the first time in Spain's democratic history, the general elections on December 20 last year left the country with a totally fragmented result meaning no single party was anywhere close to the majority needed to govern.
The outcome of the second election on June 26 was very similar, although with a few extra seats for the PP and fewer for the left-wing PSOE and centre-right Ciudadanos.
PSOE leader Pedro Sánchez resigned as pressure mounted internally for him to agree to back Rajoy in the in-house presidential election, and the party's Federal Committee voted 139 in favour of a 'no' in round one and abstention in round two so as to give Spain a government.
Another 96 voted against the motion, and two others did not vote at all.
Rajoy says the PSOE's decision is 'reasonable and responsible' and that the hung electoral results of December and June meant 'pro-Constitutional parties' had the 'duty to compromise'.
Read more at thinkSPAIN.com