Socialists, Ciudadanos continue joint efforts to entice other parties to join centrist government pact

PSOE's Pedro Sánchez (left) & Ciudadanos' Albert Rivera at end of March 4th debate. Photo: Congreso.es via El Diario
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• Political clock now ticking toward May 2nd deadline for choosing president •

Spain’s centre-left Socialist party (PSOE) and centre-right Ciudadanos party resolved over the weekend to continue their efforts together to broaden their political pact to include other parties, following the defeat Friday in second-round Congressional voting of PSOE leader Pedro Sanchez’s bid to become the country’s next president.

Following a month of negotiations and maneuvering among Spain’s political parties that ended in Friday’s defeat, both the Socialists and Ciudadanos emerged strengthened in public opinion polling, with the strong centrist and reformist message during last week’s investiture by Ciudadanos leader Albert Rivera receiving the highest rating among voters in a survey conducted by the Metroscopia polling group.

Both the leadership of anti-austerity party Podemos and United Left (IU) continued Saturday to insist on excluding Ciudadanos from four-way party talks with PSOE and Valencia’s Compromís coalition, paving the way for long and arduous negotiations in the countdown toward a May 2nd deadline by which political parties must either agree on a new president or send voters back to the polls for new elections in late-June.

► Read More in Spanish at El Diario and Público …

► Read More in English at Reuters …

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