Spain may end power vacuum in hours or days

By Hanadi Watfa MADRID, Oct 27 (KUNA) -- Spain's parliamentarians are scheduled to vote later Thursday for naming right-wing leader Mariano Rajoy as the nations' new premier, in a bid to end some 300 days of vacuum in the top executive administration.
Rajoy's Popular Party (PP) had won latest round of parliamentary elections, but failed to garner majority of votes that would entitle it form a government solo.
Now, the legislators are due to hold a session later today to give a vote of confidence for Rajoy to form, as widely expected, a minority government. The latter declared on Tuesday that the Spanish King accepted his nomination to form a new government.
If Rajoy fails to garner the required 176 votes in today's session -- for he has tentatively secured only 170 ones -- he may succeed in the next session due on Saturday, when he will need simple majority to be proclaimed as premier.
Rajoy is expected to succeed by a small margin after the Socialists declared that they would abstain from voting in the second session.
The century-old Spain's Socialist Party has witnessed deep crisis after its veteran leader Pedro Sanchez stepped down over serious rifts on options that should be taken to tackle the political crisis and avert governing vacuum.
On Wednesday, Rajoy talked at a political parties' session for debating his nomination for the top executive post, urging the nation's various political parties to seek consensus on basic issues such as education, unemployment, corruption, pensions and health care. Rajoy also predicted that he would be able to form a new government in 15 days.
Rajoy is aware that to press ahead with the administration, he is compelled to sound out the opposition parties namely the Socialists. The State Budget must be endorsed ahead of November amid pressure by the European Commission pressing Madrid to secure euro 5.5 billion for tackling the deficit.
The would-be premier has pressed on at the expense of the Socialist Party, ranks of which have been divided between opponents and supporters of Rajoy, who is hoping that some party members would change their mind and cast papers in his favor on Saturday.
Coinciding with the planned Saturday session, the avenues opposite the parliament building are expected to witness demonstrations against Rajoy. (end) hnd.rk