• Rivera says PP’s 123 seats in Congress must be taken into account •
Political leaders Pedro Sánchez of the Socialist party (PSOE) and Albert Rivera of Ciudadanos concluded their meeting Thursday over possible formation of a new coalition government and agreed to have their negotiating teams begin talks in five key areas: social policies and unemployment, democratic reforms and anti-corruption measures, Constitutional reform, economic and fiscal policy, and Spain’s position in Europe.
While the two leaders said they had found common ground in policy areas during their meeting, Rivera came away from the talks insisting that the conservative Popular Party (PP), which won the most votes in Dec. 20th general elections, must be taken into account in some way if Sánchez hopes to form the next government.
Rivera also reiterated Ciudadanos’ opposition to his party’s participation in any coalition with anti-austerity party Podemos, saying that anti-capitalist elements of Podemos’ economic platform, is support for an independence referendum in Catalonia and its opposition to Spain’s remaining in the EU made the two parties incompatible governing partners.
► Read the Full Story in Spanish at El Mundo and El País …
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