Spain’s Podemos Open to Any Initiative to Remove People’s Party From Power

Spain's Podemos party will not support the PP leader, Mariano Rajoy, or any other PP candidate for the post of the Spanish prime minister.

MADRID (Sputnik) — Spain's left-wing Podemos party, which came third in the December parliamentary elections, will consider any initiative to remove the ruling People’s Party (PP) from power, Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias said Monday.

"We are open to any alternative that would allow to remove the People's Party from power," Iglesias said.

Podemos will not abandon the idea of holding a referendum on Catalonia’s independence, Iglesias added after the meeting with Rajoy.

Spain’s ruling PP won the December 20 general elections, securing 123 seats in the country’s parliament, 63 less than it obtained in the 2011 vote. PP's traditional rivals, Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE), secured 90 seats. Podemos gained 69 seats.

Rajoy will face the first parliamentary vote on the re-assumption of his position as the country's prime minister in January. If he fails to gain 50 percent support of lawmakers, a second vote will be held where he will be required to get more votes for his candidacy than against it.