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TEHRAN, May 31 - Spain's opposition Socialists tried to persuade smaller parties to support their bid to oust Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's conservative government as they opened a tense parliamentary debate on their no-confidence motion.
TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club (YJC) - Socialist leader Pedro Sanchez promised to uphold a recently negotiated national budget that includes substantial benefits for Basque nationalists and vowed to open dialogue with separatists in the new Catalan government. The nationalists' votes would allow him to oust Rajoy.
He urged the prime minister to step down after Rajoy's Popular Party was fined lastweek as a beneficiary of a large kickbacks-for-contracts scheme.
"Are you ready to step down here and now? Resign and everything will end," Sanchez told the prime minister, who listened from his seat with an impassive face. "Mr. Rajoy, your time is up."
Sanchez, 46, reminded the chamber that last week's damaging court ruling questioned Rajoy's claim that he and other top officials were unaware of the party's illegal accounting.
The prime minister fought back. He said it makes no sense to seek a no-confidence vote based on the graft ruling because the National Court's verdict "doesn't include any criminal punishment" for his party.
"Everybody knows that Pedro Sanchez is never going to win the elections and this is the reason for his motion, his urgency," Rajoy told lawmakers, reminding them that the Socialists have lost two general elections under Sanchez's leadership and warning that his government would endanger financial stability.
"Every time you open your mouth, the risk premium goes up," he said.
The debate on Thursday was expected to be followed by a vote on Friday.
As the two main parties exchanged accusations of covering up corruption cases in their respective ranks, all eyes were set on how the Basque nationalist party, which governs in the northern prosperous region, might tilt the balance either way.
Sanchez needs an absolute majority in the Congress of Deputies — 176 of 350 seats — to oust Rajoy. The far-left anti-austerity Podemos is set to vote in favor, but that leaves him still needing the votes of the Basque party's five lawmakers.
The pro-business Ciudadanos (Citizens) party, whose leader Albert Rivera is riding a wave of popularity after pressing Rajoy for a more aggressive approach in crushing the Catalan separatist challenge, is refusing to support Sanchez because it wants a snap election as soon as possible.
The prospect of an election won by Ciudadanos, which favors more central control of Spain's self-governed regions, posed a dilemma for the regional Basque party. The nationalists have said their priority will be shielding the more than 500 million euros ($585 million) in additional investments and other benefits obtained from Rajoy's government in this year's national budget negotiations.
Sanchez announced on Thursday that he won't touch Rajoy's budget if he is elected for the top job.
Source: AP
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