Spanish lawmakers debate move on Rajoy
A debate in the Spanish Parliament concerning a no-confidence vote in the government of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy’s is expected to be held today
The motion was proposed following the discovery that the Rajoy government attempted to influence the judicial branch in order to conceal a public corruption case involving prominent members of his People’s Party (PP). While a motion of no confidence can be debated with the support of 10% of the Congress of Deputies (i.e. 35 deputies), it can only pass if a majority of deputies back a successive prime minister.
Podemos, the leftist party proposing the motion, currently can only count on the support of 82 deputies, but needs more than twice as many for the vote to pass. Because the socialist PSOE, the centrist Ciudadanos, and the conservative PP have all rejected the motion, it is highly unlikely to pass.
While ousting the Rajoy government is doomed to fail, the move will likely increase Podemos’ support among the disillusioned socialist base.
