Mariano Rajoy’s overtures to other parties in his quest to remain as Spain’s prime minister are falling on deaf ears.
Rajoy on Tuesday said he would try to reach an agreement with the opposition Socialists (PSOE) and Ciudadanos (Citizens) to secure a new term at the head of a stable coalition able to consolidate the economic recovery.
But the PSOE responded with a resounding “no.” The PSOE’s parliamentary spokesman Antonio Hernando told Rajoy to “stop talking about grand coalitions with the PSOE. No is no.”
He said that the PSOE and Rajoy’s Popular Party had presented different visions to the Spanish electorate, and could not work together. “There will be no grand coalitions or small coalitions,” he told reporters.
The PP came first in December’s general election but fell short of a majority and needs support to govern. The PSOE came second and Ciudadanos was fourth.
In an interview with Cope radio on Tuesday, the PP leader said an alliance backed by more than 200 MPs from the PP, PSOE and Ciudadanos would reassure financial markets and provide the conditions for long-term reforms, including an overhaul of the constitution if necessary.
“We can resolve many problems for many years. It is a great opportunity,” he said.
Rajoy warned that if the PSOE teamed up instead with the radical leftist Podemos (We Can) and nationalists, it would be “bad for the interests of Spain.”
Another problem for the Socialists is that Podemos, which came third in the elections, wants to hold a referendum on independence for Catalonia — a move opposed by both the PP and the PSOE, which have alternated in power for most of the four decades since the restoration of democracy.