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WORLD NEWS 9
Saturday 9 April 2016
Spain: Government talks take hit as negotiating parties bicker
ALAN CLENDENNING made by Podemos for its Catalan regional President Carles Puigdemont, right, shakes hands with Podemos Party leader
Associated Press support “were received Pablo Iglesias at the Generalitat Palace in Barcelona, Spain, Friday, April 8, 2016. The leader of
MADRID (AP) — Bickering with inflexibility” by the So- Spain’s far left Podemos party has announced party members will vote next week on whether to
between Spain’s far-left cialists and Ciudadanos. support or oppose a deal to form a government and end nearly four months of political stalemate.
Podemos party and the That prompted Socialist
Socialists escalated Friday spokesman Antonio Her- (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
over the formation of a nando to accuse Iglesias
new government, lead- of nixing any deal and be- government with Podem- Podemos’ commitment to “The chances of a last-min-
ing experts to predict the traying voters who want os’ votes, or abstentions, in allowing the northeastern ute agreement are dim,”
country is headed to an- an agreement. Spaniards the 350-seat lower house of Catalonia region to hold a said Antonio Barroso, a
other national election. enraged with high un- Parliament. secession referendum. The London-based analyst with
If no government is in employment, seemingly One of the biggest is- Socialists and Ciudadanos the Eurasia Group political
place by May 2, another endless corruption cases sues threatening a deal is are adamantly opposed. risk consultancy.q
election will be held on and austerity ended the
June 26. nation’s traditional two-
Podemos’ leader, Pablo party system in the Dec. 20
Iglesias, told reporters his election. The conservative
party’s members will vote Popular Party came in first
next week on whether to but fell far short of its 2011-
support or oppose a deal 2015 parliamentary ma-
for the Socialists and the jority. The Socialists were
centrist Ciudadanos party second and newcomers
to form a government af- Podemos and Ciudada-
ter nearly four months of nos took third and fourth.
political stalemate. Acting Prime Minister Mari-
He suggested he opposed ano Rajoy, the Popular
a deal, saying he felt “be- Party’s leader, decided in
trayed” a day after meet- January against trying to
ing with negotiators for So- form a government be-
cialists and Ciudadanos, cause he lacked support.
who have a deal to form a So King Felipe VI offered
government but lack par- the task to Socialist leader
liamentary support which Pedro Sanchez.
Podemos could deliver. The Socialists and Ciu-
Iglesias said proposals dadanos could form a
Skirmishes continuing in Nagorno
Karabakh despite cease-fire deal
AIDA SULTANOVA which marked the worst
Associated Press violence since a separatist
BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) — war ended in 1994. The war
Skirmishes continued Friday left Nagorno-Karabakh, of-
around Nagorno-Kara- ficially a part of Azerbaijan,
bakh with Azerbaijan and under the control of local
Armenia blaming each ethnic Armenian forces
other for cease-fire viola- and the Armenian military.
tions, while Russia sought Armenian forces also oc-
to stabilize the situation by cupy several areas outside
playing as go-between. the Karabakh region.
Russian Prime Minister Dmi- Azerbaijan has said 31 of
try Medvedev met with its soldiers have been killed
Azerbaijan’s President Il- since Saturday while Arme-
ham Aliyev in Baku a day nia’s Defense Ministry has
after holding talks with the acknowledged the loss of
Armenian leadership. 44 troops. Several civilians
Azerbaijan’s Defense Min- have also been killed on
istry said Friday its troops both sides.
returned fire after Arme- The conflicting parties
nian forces shelled Azer- reached a tentative
baijani military positions agreement to evacuate
and populated areas. The bodies from the frontline
Armenian side accused on Friday.
Azerbaijan of shelling its Along with the United
positions, killing two Arme- States and France, Russia
nian soldiers overnight. has also acted as a medi-
The gunbattles threaten to ator in the Nagorno-Kara-
derail the Russia-brokered bakh peace talks which
truce declared at midday have dragged on since
Tuesday following several 1994 without any visible
days of intense battles results.q
