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Spain’s king calls on right-wing leader to try to form government

Seeking to break a political impasse, Spain's King Felipe VI on Tuesday called on Alberto Núñez Feijóo to seek to form a new government, despite his conservative Popular Party not having a majority.

Published: 23 August 2023 08:39 CEST
Spain's king calls on right-wing leader to try to form government
Spain's King Felipe VI receives the candidate of conservative Partido Popular (People's Party) Alberto Núñez Feijóo as part of the round of consultations with political representatives before proposing a candidate for the investiture, at the Zarzuela Palace in Madrid on August 22, 2023. Spain's King Felipe VI began meeting party leaders in a bid to break an impasse over the formation of a new government following inconclusive elections last month. Acting Prime Minister tries to win an investiture vote in parliament -- which determines who forms the government -- with the support of its far-left partner Sumar and smaller regional parties, including Catalonia's separatists. (Photo by Sebastian MARISCAL / POOL / AFP)

The PP garnered the most votes in an inconclusive election last month and the king called on Feijóo to try to form a government with the PP at the head of a coalition.

The Socialist president of parliament, Francina Armengol, told a news conference that the king had communicated “his decision to propose Alberto Núñez Feijóo as candidate to head the government.”

But the outcome remains uncertain as the early elections on July 23rd left neither Feijóo’s conservatives nor outgoing Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez with a clear path to a majority.

READ MORE: Five key takeaways from Spain’s general election

Armengol said nonetheless she would be contacting Feijóo in the coming hours to set a date for a parliamentary investiture debate.

Both Sánchez and Feijóo had indicated after meeting earlier with the king that they would submit themselves to an investiture vote should the monarch designate them.

READ ALSO: How do you pronounce Alberto Núñez Feijóo?

Earlier, Felipe, seeking to ascertain which party leader has the best chance of eventually putting together a coalition, also met Santiago Abascal, leader of the far-right Vox party.

The PP won the most votes in the poll but it is not clear if it can secure the 176 votes in parliament required to obtain an absolute majority in the 350-seat chamber.

Should Feijóo fail, that would trigger a two-month countdown to determine if another majority can come together. Failing that the country will go back to the polls to try to break the political deadlock.

On the face of it, Feijóo will fall short as his PP has 137 parliamentary seats while potential allies Vox and two small regional parties only have 33 between them which, if pooled, would give a PP-led coalition only 172 votes, four short of the required majority.

Sánchez said he would accept Feijóo being designated to form a government — while predicting his rival would be unable to put together a parliamentary majority.

The Socialist leader wants to return at the head of a “progressive” government of centre and radical left and insists he could garner more votes than Feijóo.

READ ALSO: Who is Alberto Núñez Feijóo?

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POLITICS

Spain rejects claim of involvement in plot to ‘destabilise’ Venezuela

Spain has rejected allegations by Venezuela that Madrid was involved in a plot to destabilise Maduro's government, following the arrest of two Spanish nationals in the Latin American country.

Published: 16 September 2024 09:42 CEST
Spain rejects claim of involvement in plot to 'destabilise' Venezuela

“Spain denies and categorically rejects any insinuation that it is involved in a political destabilisation operation in Venezuela,” the source told AFP after three Americans, two Spaniards and a Czech citizen were detained in Venezuela and accused of involvement in a plot against the government.

The government has “confirmed” that the two Spanish detainees are not part of Spain’s CNI spy agency “or any other state body”, the source added.

“Spain defends a democratic and peaceful solution to the situation in Venezuela,” the source said.

Venezuela’s Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said Saturday that the foreign nationals were being held on suspicion of planning an attack on President Nicolas Maduro and his government.

He said two Spaniards were recently detained in Puerto Ayacucho in the southwest over the alleged plot linked to intelligence agencies in the United States and Spain as well as to Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado.

A US State Department spokesperson said Saturday that “any claims of US involvement in a plot to overthrow Maduro are categorically false”.

The arrests come amid heightened tensions between Venezuela and both the United States and Spain over Venezuela’s disputed July 28 presidential election, which the country’s opposition accuses President Nicolas Maduro of stealing.

Maduro, who succeeded iconic left-wing leader Hugo Chávez on his death in 2013, insists he won a third term but failed to release detailed voting tallies to back his claim.

The two Spaniards, Andrés Martínez Adasme and José María Basoa, were on holiday in Venezuela, Adasme’s father told daily Spanish newspaper El Mundo.

“My son does not work for the CNI, of course not. We are waiting for information from the consulate and embassy. We still do not know what they are accused of or the reason for their arrest,” he added.

Tensions between Caracas and former colonial power Spain rose sharply after Venezuelan opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, 75, went into exile in Spain a week ago, after being threatened with arrest.

Earlier this week Caracas recalled its ambassador to Madrid for consultations and summoned Spain’s envoy to Venezuela for talks after a Spanish minister accused Maduro of running a “dictatorship.”

Venezuela was also angered by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s decision to meet with Gonzalez Urrutia and warned Spain against any “interference” in its affairs.

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