Spanish opposition party asks for no confidence vote after the Gürtel case ruling

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Series Details May 2018
Publication Date 31/05/2018
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After the Spanish High Court found former members of the ruling party (Popular Party - PP) guilty of benefiting from bribery and corruption, sentencing them to jail, the opposition Socialist Workers’ Party, led by Pedro Sánchez, tabled on 25 May 2018 a motion of no confidence in Parliament against the government of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy.

The PSOE’s motion will require majority backing to succeed, requiring the support of 176 of the 350 MPs. As the socialists have 84 seats and Podemos 67, they will need the support of Ciudadanos, 32 seats, or other parties, including Catalan separatists, to carry the motion. Ciudadanos is asking Rajoy to call new elections in the coming weeks, and warned that if he persists in not calling people to the polls, the party will put forward its own no-confidence vote as well.

The prime minister said he would not step down and was committed to seeing out his term which ends in 2020. Rajoy dismissed the no-confidence vote as 'nonsense' in a televised press conference on Friday and said it went 'against stability in Spain'.

On 31 May 2018, Basque Nationalist Party party confirmed it will vote against Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy in a no-confidence motion. A majority of Spanish lawmakers also said they would back Socialist leader Pedro Sánchez’s motion of no confidence in the PM in a vote on Friday 1st of June 2018.

Related Links
Politico, 31.05.18: The end of Mariano Rajoy https://www.politico.eu/article/rajoy-to-be-ousted-as-spains-prime-minister/
The Telegraph, 31.05.18: Mariano Rajoy facing abrupt end to his rule as 'Frankenstein coalition' looms over Spain https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/05/31/mariano-rojoy-facing-abrupt-end-rule-frankenstein-coalition/
The Guardian, 01.06.18: Rajoy likely to be forced out as Spanish PM as Basque party turns against him https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/may/31/mariano-rajoy-spain-prime-minister-no-confidence-debate
El País, 01.06.18: An impossible government https://elpais.com/elpais/2018/06/01/inenglish/1527836422_783793.html
Euronews, 01.06.18: Spanish PM faces no-confidence vote http://www.euronews.com/2018/06/01/spanish-pm-faces-no-confidence-vote
Euro|topics, May 2018: Corruption scandal threatens to topple Rajoy http://www.eurotopics.net/en/200003/corruption-scandal-threatens-to-topple-rajoy?zitat=200074#zitat200074
EurActiv, 25.05.18: Spain’s Socialists table no confidence motion against Rajoy’s government https://www.euractiv.com/section/justice-home-affairs/news/spains-socialists-table-no-confidence-motion-against-rajoys-government/
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Politico, 25.05.18: Corruption scandal threatens to topple Spanish government https://www.politico.eu/article/spanish-socialists-calls-no-confidence-vote-in-mariano-rajoy/
The Telegraph, 25.05.18: Spain's government hanging by a thread as corruption crisis unfolds https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/05/25/spains-government-hanging-thread-corruption-crisis-unfolds/
The Guardian, 25.05.18: Spanish socialists file no-confidence motion against Mariano Rajoy https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/may/25/spanish-socialists-file-no-confidence-motion-against-mariano-rajoy-gurtel
Reuters, 25.05.18: Spain's Rajoy says will not call snap election https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-spain-politics-rajoy/spains-rajoy-says-will-not-call-snap-election-idUKKCN1IQ1PK?il=0
Deutsche Welle, 25.05.18: Spanish premier Mariano Rajoy faces no-confidence vote over illegal party funds http://www.dw.com/en/spanish-premier-mariano-rajoy-faces-no-confidence-vote-over-illegal-party-funds/a-43928752
El País, 25.05.18: Rajoy accuses Socialists of weakening Spain with no-confidence motion https://elpais.com/elpais/2018/05/25/inenglish/1527252686_534158.html
Reuters, 25.05.18: Spain's Ciudadanos ready to put forward own motion of no confidence against Spain's PM https://www.reuters.com/article/us-spain-politics-ciudadanos/spains-ciudadanos-ready-to-put-forward-own-motion-of-no-confidence-against-spains-pm-idUSKCN1IQ1D0
The Local.es, 25.05.18: What next: Could a no-confidence vote oust Rajoy? https://www.thelocal.es/20180525/what-next-could-a-no-confidence-vote-oust-rajoy
Politico, 30.05.18: Spain’s political survivor faces ultimate test https://www.politico.eu/article/mariano-rajoy-spain-political-survivor-faces-ultimate-test-no-confidence/
Euronews, 31.05.18: Basque nationalists 'set to vote against' Spanish PM Rajoy and force him out http://www.euronews.com/2018/05/31/future-of-spain-s-prime-minister-under-threat
Politico, 31.05.18: Sánchez to PM Rajoy: ‘Quit and this will be all over’ https://www.politico.eu/article/pedro-sanchez-to-spanish-pm-mariano-rajoy-quit-and-this-will-be-all-over/

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