Page 8 - ARUBA TODAY

A8 WORLD NEWS
Friday 1 June 2018

Spain government poised to fall, Socialists set to take helm

MADRID (AP) — Spain's going to win the elections
conservative government and this is the reason for
appeared doomed his motion, his urgency,"
Thursday to lose a no- Rajoy told lawmakers,
confidence vote in reminding them that the
parliament, with the Socialists lost two general
center-left Socialist party elections under Sanchez's
poised to take power. A leadership and warning
Basque nationalist party's that a Socialist government
announcement that it would endanger the
would vote in favor of the country's financial stability.
motion spelled the almost Sanchez promised to abide
certain end of Prime by a national budget
Minister Mariano Rajoy's recently negotiated by
mandate and foretold the Rajoy. It includes substantial
stunning collapse of his benefits for the Basque
minority government in a Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and Popular Party leader listens to speeches during the first nationalists whose promised
parliamentary vote Friday, day of a motion of no confidence session at the Spanish parliament in Madrid. votes in the no-confidence
when it will be short of Associated Press debate opened the door
for Sanchez to oust Rajoy.
support to survive. prevents a power vacuum, Sanchez also vowed
Officials of Rajoy's Popular Socialist leader Pedro to open talks with
Party dismissed speculation Sanchez, who tabled the separatists in the Catalan
that he might resign ahead no-confidence motion, regional government
of the vote. would immediately over their demands for
"The PP has faced up become the new leader of independence. That issue
to all the problems that the 19-country eurozone's has dogged Spain for the
have come its way," party No. 4 economy and a past eight months.
secretary-general and prominent EU leader at a Rajoy has been in power
Defense Minister Maria time when the bloc faces since December 2011,
Dolores de Cospedal told numerous challenges. successfully steering Spain
reporters, adding that Unlike Italy's potential new out of its worst economic
Rajoy would be present for leaders, Sanchez hasn't crisis in decades during
the ballot that is expected expressed skepticism the eurozone debt crisis
to oust him. about the EU or the and achieving some of the
The impending downfall of continent's single currency, strongest economic growth
Rajoy's government after both of which are broadly in Europe. Last year, gross
ruling for nearly eight years popular in Spain. In the domestic product growth
came just days after the no-confidence debate, reached 3.1 percent.
Popular Party's reputation Sanchez, 46, called on In the process, Rajoy
was badly damaged Rajoy to step down over faced down opponents
by a court verdict that the kickbacks scandal. who complained that
identified it as a beneficiary "Are you ready to step the recovery came at
of a large kickbacks-for- down here and now? the expense of austerity
contracts scheme. The Resign and everything will measures, just as he
unexpected development end," Sanchez told the successfully stood up to
injected a new element prime minister as he listened Catalan secessionists.
of tension into European from his seat in parliament. But the strong economy
Union politics and global "Mr. Rajoy, your time is up." wasn't enough to keep
financial markets, already Rajoy responded by Rajoy in La Moncloa
unsettled by Italy's struggles accusing Sanchez of a palace, the seat of
to install a government power grab. government in Madrid,
since a March 4 election. "Everybody knows that and he was undone by the
Under a Spanish law that Pedro Sanchez is never corruption scandal.q