Spain to Face New Parliamentary Elections Unless Socialists Accept Coalition

Spain will have to hold a new round of parliamentary elections if the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) refuses to form the coalition with the Spain's People’s Party (PP), leader of PP Mariano Rajoy said Tuesday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — In June, Spain’s center-right PP won the most seats in the parliamentary elections, with the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) finishing second. None of the political forces has an absolute majority and thus cannot form a government on their own. Following the elections, Rajoy initiated negotiations to form a government, which have so far yielded little results.

On July 28, Rajoy accepted the offer of King of Spain Felipe VI to form a new government.

"Socialists should change their position. If the Socialists continue saying no [to the coalition], there will be new elections and everyone knows this," Rajoy said.

He added that forming the government as soon as possible was a priority for the country.

"This is what Spaniards expect from us. Spain needs a government due to the economic situation, due to the need for stable institutions — the government which would adopt the budget, which will fulfill the obligations towards the European Union. But first of all, the one which would create new jobs. We can not lose what we have achieved over the past several years," Rajoy noted.

Rajoy led the talks with major Spanish political leaders on his own where he presented the future government program. He repeatedly spoke against holding a new round of parliamentary elections in Spain.