Spanish
King Gives Deadline to Politicians to Form New Government
The Spanish King Felipe VI is stepping in to finally end the
impasse that has crippled the Spanish government for around eight months now.
 |
| King Felipe VI insists that the politicians form a new government |
The signs are definitely there that Spain could have a new
government as early as next week. King Felipe VI began the legal procedure that means the acting prime minister has just one week to form a new
government.
Since the elections were held once again on June 26,
following the failure of the last general election in December, Mariano Rajoy
has stayed on as acting Prime Minister while the political parties attempt to
come to a deal and form a majority coalition.
King Felipe VI is adamant that there will be no third
election and held a meeting with the Speaker of Congress Ana Pastor to discuss
the political deals, partnerships, and problems that the country could face.
The main aim for King Felipe VI is to finally end the deadlock that Spanish
politics has been in since December.
Interestingly enough the Spanish economy has managed to
recover quite well during this time and the cost of living has been kept low. Both GDP and job numbers are on the rise.
Some industries, such as the real estate industry, are doing very well right
now.
There are still many issues that should be addressed at the
highest level. One of the most urgent is that Spain may be fined by the EU for
going past their deficit containment. As such King Felipe will speak with
Rajoy, the head of the Popular Party (PP) to discuss what options he has. As
Rajoy was the one who secured the most seats at both elections it is believed
that he will be the one who needs to end the deadlock and come up with a
solution that works for Spain.
The Socialists staked their own claim for leadership but
they failed to get enough support from the other parties. This is one reason
things have become so tricky. Many of the smaller parties don’t want to join up
with the PP but the socialists, who came in second place, are also having
trouble making deals with the other smaller and mid-size parties to create a
coalition of their own.
Even though King Felipe is stepping in and issuing this
deadline there could still be a third election in Spain, something that very
few people at the top of Spanish society and government seem keen about.
Under Article 99 of the Spanish Constitution the monarch
must meet with the leading candidates and decide if any of them is the best fit
to form a government. Unfortunately the king doesn’t have the power to force
them to make a deal.
