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SPANISH ELECTION

Feijóo could become Spain’s PM in September through parliament vote

The head of Spain's conservative opposition Popular Party (PP) Alberto Núñez Feijóo will face a parliamentary debate and vote to become prime minister in late September, the president of the parliament said Wednesday.

Published: 23 August 2023 12:30 CEST
Feijóo could become Spain's PM in September through parliament vote
On the face of it, Feijóo will fall short as his PP has 137 parliamentary seats while potential allies far-right Vox and two small regional parties only have 33 between them. (Photo by Pierre-Philippe MARCOU / AFP)

The announcement comes a day after Spain’s King Felipe VI called on PP leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo to seek to form a new government, despite his party not having a majority following a snap general election on July 23rd that produced a hung parliament.

The two-day debate will start on September 26th with the vote on Feijóo’s bid on the 27th, said president of the parliament Francina Armengol.

“I believe that this date gives more than enough time for the candidate to carry out the appropriate negotiations with the representatives of the different political formations,” Armengol said.

The PP won the most seats but neither it nor acting Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s Socialists emerged with a clear path to achieve the 176-seat majority needed to win an investiture vote and take office.

On the face of it, Feijóo will fall short as his PP has 137 parliamentary seats while potential allies far-right Vox and two small regional parties only have 33 between them.

If pooled, those would give a PP-led coalition only 172 votes.

And if Feijóo fails to get a majority during a first investiture vote, he will face a second vote where just a simple majority of more yes than no votes are needed.

If he loses again, the king has to pick a new candidate — most likely Sánchez, whose party finished second.

If no candidate secures a majority within two months of the first investiture vote, new elections have to be called, which has happened with elections in both 2015 and 2019.

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

He has the support of far-left formation Sumar and could cobble together a majority with the support of Catalan and Basque pro-independence parties.

But Catalan separatist parties have set a high bar for their support, calling for a sweeping amnesty for hundreds of activists facing legal action for their role in a failed 2017 independence bid and it is not likely Sánchez will be able to reach a deal with them.

The PP has in the past reached deals with Catalan and Basque separatist parties but its alliance with Vox – which is fiercely opposed to separatism – means they are not an option this time around.

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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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