‘Reformist’ accord between PSOE & Ciudadanos falls short of votes needed to elect Pedro Sánchez

PSOE's Pedro Sánchez meets with Ciudadanos' Albert Rivera, Feb. 4th. Photo: Bernardo Pérez / El País
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• Pablo Iglesias says pact insignificant, Podemos continues talks with PSOE •

The executive committees of Spain’s Socialist Party (PSOE) and centre-right Ciudadanos party convened Wednesday morning to consider approval of an 80-page legislative accord reached by the parties’ negotiators, following a Tuesday press conference by PSOE leader Pedro Sánchez in which indicated agreement between the two parties’ had been reached.

Billed as a “reformist” agreement between centre-left PSOE and centre-right Ciudadanos, the accord posititons both parties positively and in line with voter expectations for a compromise, reformist agreement aimed at seating a new government. But, the deal gives PSOE leader Sánchez a total of just 130 combined PSOE-Ciudadanos ballots in next week’s investiture vote, requiring unlikely abstentions by the conservative Popular Party (PP) and/or anti-austerity Podemos party for Sánchez to be selected as Spain’s next President.

Late Tuesday, Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias called any PSOE-Ciudadanos accord is insignificant because of the lack of votes needed to elect Sánchez and said Podemos would continue with four-party negotiations aimed to persuade PSOE to move to the left and join in coalition with Podemos, United Left (IU) and Valencia’s Compromís coalition.

► Read More in Spanish at La Vanguardia and El Periódico …

► Read More in English at The Local …

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