December election beckons as MPs scupper PM Rajoy's bid to form government
Source: Deutsche Welle
Spanish MPs have rejected acting PM Mariano Rajoy's bid to form a government. The next step is in two days with a second parliamentary vote, but this year's third election now looks likely to be held at Christmas.
Mariano Rajoy, leader of the center-right People's Party (PP), secured the backing of only 170 representatives in the 350-strong assembly, six seats short of the majority he needed.
Liberal parliamentary newcomer Ciudadanos voted in favor of Rajoy, as did a small party from the Canary Islands, but he failed to make inroads with the Socialists (PSOE), the anti-austerity alliance Unidos Podemos and regional parties from the Basque Country and Catalonia.
Rajoy's People's Party emerged as the strongest party in June elections after two elections in which the PP won but fell short of an absolute majority. Spain has been without a full-fledged government for more than eight months, after voters elected a fragmented parliament in December and then again in June.
Read more: http://www.dw.com/en/december-election-beckons-as-mps-scupper-pm-rajoys-bid-to-form-government/a-19517110
