UNDER FIRE: Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy (inset) is under pressure after the Gurtel ruling

THE centrist Ciudadanos party has demanded that Mariano Rajoy’s government hold national elections early as the Prime Minister faced the introduction of a no confidence motion today.

The call comes as the main opposition party, the left-leaning Partido Socialista (PSOE), said they had presented the motion in the Spanish parliament following a meeting this morning. Senior party members were discussing how to go forward in the wake of the Gurtel corruption scandal.

The probe saw Rajoy’s ruling conservative Partido Popular (PP) slapped with a more than €245,000 fine after Spain’s High Court ruled it profited from contract kickbacks between 1999 and 2006.

Rajoy said in a television interview yesterday that any case of corruption is “regrettable” and that understanding and dialogue would be needed going forward.

He said today the motion was bad for all Spaniards and that it would harm the country's economy, with it coming soon after the passage of the national budget.

"The motion is for the sole interest of Mr Sanchez and his place in Spanish politics. It is for him to become the leader of the govenment at the price of anyone and anything," he said.

Albert Rivera, the leader of Ciudadanos, wrote on Twitter his party supported a “democratic solution” which would come either from elections or a motion of censure (no confidence).

“We need a clean and strong government. The future is decided by the Spaniards,” he said.

Pedro Sanchez, the leader of the PSOE, said earlier today he had given the order for his party to lodge the motion in the Congress of Deputies, the lower house of parliament.

The PSOE’s version of the motion puts forward Sanchez as a candidate for the premiership, which would see him unseat Rajoy if it is passed by a majority of lawmakers.

The party reportedly has the support of the far-left Podemos party, who issued their own call for a motion of no confidence earlier this week.

Ciudadanos, who currently backs the minority PP government on key votes in Parliament, have ruled out supporting the PSOE's motion. Their backing is a deciding factor in tipping the balance in favour of it passing.

The party's General Secretary Jose Manuel Villegas said his party had instead demanded Roajoy call early elections.

Under the Spanish Constitution’s Article 115 this would be impossible if a motion of no confidence were active.</s>El líder de Ciudadanos, Albert Rivera, ha decidido llevar al plano nacional la táctica que acabó por relevar al gobierno en la Comunidad de Madrid con un claro ultimátum al presidente del Gobierno, Mariano Rajoy: o convoca elecciones anticipadamente en las próximas semanas o apoyarán una moción de censura.

El secretario general del partido, José Manuel Villegas, ha sido el encargado de anunciar la propuesta que el partido llevará el próximo lunes a la ejecutiva nacional para su debate y aprobación. Además de alegar que la situación es “insostenible” y de que “la legislatura está liquidada”, el dirigente se ha cuidado mucho de advertir que Cs no apoyará una moción en la que estén “separatistas” y “populistas”, dando por hecho que Sánchez habría presentado la medida tras contar con el apoyo de estos.

Villegas ha insistido en varias ocasiones en señalar que “la corrupción del PP ha liquidado esta legislatura” y que “España no puede permitirse un Gobierno débil”, destacando que en el PP “cada vez son más débiles por la corrupción que les atenaza”. Por tanto, para el partido naranja ha llegado el momento de dar “una solución democrática”, es decir, “que se convoquen elecciones y los españoles puedan decidir”. Tras la demandar a Rajoy que convoque esa cita con las urnas “en las próximas semanas”, el dirigente ha avisado de que “si se niega y se enroca, si permanece en la parálisis habitual, estaremos dispuestos a apoyar una moción de censura instrumental”.

Ciudadanos “La corrupción del PP ha liquidado esta legislatura” y que “España no puede permitirse un Gobierno débil”

El secretario general de Cs ha afirmado que su partido rechazará la moción de censura registrada este viernes por el PSOE por contar con los independentistas y los populistas, por lo que exigirá al presidente Rajoy que convoque elecciones, y en el caso de que se niegue, promoverán una moción de censura instrumental para que se disuelvan las Cámaras y se celebren nuevos comicios.

Villegas ha venido a decir que la función instrumentar de la moción de censura que apoyarían debería tener el objetivo de convocar esos comicios, pero no ha querido desgranar los detalles de esa moción, ni si serían ellos quienes la impulsarían. En su lugar, ha querido incidir en la necesidad de “fortalecer España”, algo que “pasa por un Gobierno fuerte”, y también ha vuelto a reiterar que esta forma de conseguir un Ejecutivo fuerte pasa por la convocatoria electoral de Rajoy o “del Congreso a través de esa moción de censura instrumental”.

Ciudadanos Ciudadanos rechazará la moción de censura registrada este viernes por el PSOE por contar con los independentistas y los populistas

Ciudadanos cuenta con 32 diputados en el Congreso, y se necesita 35 para presentar una, de esta forma, el partido no puede impulsar una si alguna formación no le presta los tres diputados necesarios para ello. Este factor y las reticencias de la formación naranja a apoyar la moción socialista si esta se sustenta en un acuerdo con independentistas vascos y catalanes complica aún más las opciones de Cs.

Además, el propósito de Cs ha sorprendido por el hecho de que la Constitución establece en su artículo 115 la imposibilidad de disolver las Cortes cuando se haya tramitado ya una moción de censura, algo que ya se ha producido. Por eso, el PSOE se ha apresurado esta mañana a registrarla en el Congreso, incluso antes de la reunión del comité ejecutivo en el que tenía previsto debatir la cuestión.

Ciudadanos Advierten a Sánchez que “la solución no son apaños en los despachos con separatistas y populistas”

En todo caso, Villegas ha anunciado que la solución que plantean no puede llevarse en breve puesto que antes debería quedar asegurada la estabilidad a través de la aprobación definitiva de los presupuestos en el Senado. “Hay temas que esta semana hay que cerrar”, ha señalado el dirigente. “Los presupuestos hay que cerrarlos para no poner en riesgo la situación y que puedan beneficiarse los españoles” de todas las medidas aprobadas.

Junto a las cuentas, Ciudadanos cree que los constitucionalistas “deberíamos sentarnos para decidir qué hacemos con el 155”, sabiendo que en el Senado es donde debe dirimirse la cuestión y que el partido de Rivera apuesta claramente por una “extensión” del mismo en aspectos ya conocidos (Mossos, relaciones exteriores, intervención de las cuentas...) “Estamos hablando de semanas”, ha señalado Villegas sin poder concretar más. “Hay que aprobar los presupuestos en el Senado y ver qué solución se da en el 155”, pero “Rajoy no va a esconderse en la inacción, en la inoperancia”, ha asegurado.

En cuanto a la opción de la moción de censura instrumental, el secretario general de Cs ha querido dejar claro que su formación no ha hablado en ningún momento con Pedro Sánchez, por lo que ha supuesto que el líder del PSOE cuenta con el apoyo de “los separatistas y los populistas”. Pero en esa moción no va a estar Ciudadanos”, ha garantizado. Villegas ha reprochado a Sánchez las “prisas” y su “oportunismo”, tras lo cual ha advertido de que “la solución no son apaños en los despachos con separatistas y populistas”.</s>Spain's biggest opposition party, the Socialists (PSOE), filed a no-confidence motion on Friday against Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy after his conservative Popular Party was found guilty of benefiting from illegal funds in a mega graft trial.

To succeed, the no confidence vote will need the support of an absolute majority of 176 lawmakers, a difficult task as opposition parties are deeply divided.

While far-left party Podemos has already called for a no-confidence vote, the motion will need the unlikely support of centrist party Ciudadanos, Rajoy's allies in parliament, or that of several tiny regional parties, including Catalan separatists.

The PSOE holds 85 seats in Congress, so they will have to garner a further 91 votes for the no-confidence vote to be successful.

Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias, whose central party and regional branches control 71 seats in Congress, confirmed that he would support Sánchez if he tabled a motion of no-confidence.

"No advanced democracy can put up with a party of criminals in government", he said.

Which means the PSOE needs another 20 seats to effectively oust Rajoy.

Ciudadanos, led by Albert Rivera, has 32 seats but has supported the PP in government, helping to pass a difficult budget, but has been outspoken on corruption and the need to clean up politics.

But Ciudadanos, which has seen a meteoric rise in the polls, has little common ground with the PSOE and even less with Podemos, and all would have to agree a replacement candidate for PM, which is likely to be Pedro Sanchez.

If Ciudadanos refuse to support the no confidence vote then the PSOE must rely on the regional nationalists, the Basque PNV , which has five seats, and the more troublesome Catalan nationalist parties—Republican Catalan Left (Esquerra, ERC) and Convergencia—who together hold 17 seats.

In fact, Ciudadanos was quick to dismiss support for a no confidence motion and instead demanded that new elections be called.

Jose Manuel Villegas, the secretary general of Ciudadanos in a press conference on Friday said that he believed Sanchez would “rely on the support of those who want to break up Spain” in his quest to reach Moncloa and that Ciudadanos would not support that.

Instead he said that the motion of no confidence should be withdrawn and the PSOE should join the push for new elections.

New elections will favour Ciudadanos, after the PP has seen its popularity plummet even before the latest graft ruling.

According to a Metroscopia survey conducted for El Pais in early May, Ciudadanos would be the clear winner in new national elections, with 29.1% of the vote.

Second place would go to Unidos Podemos, an alliance between Podemos and other leftist parties, with 19.8 percent.

Support for the PP would slip to 19.5 percent, while the PSOE would come in last with 19 percent of the vote.</s>MADRID (Reuters) - Spain’s Ciudadanos party on Friday said it was ready to put forward its own motion of no confidence against Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy over a graft case involving members of his People’s Party.

“If Rajoy does not call snap elections we would be ready to put forward (our own) motion of no confidence in order to hold elections,” Jose Manuel Villegas a senior member of the pro-business Ciudadanos said during a press conference.

The opposition Socialists have put forward their own motion of no confidence.</s>MADRID, May 25 (Reuters) - Spain’s Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said he would not call a snap election after two parties threatened to bring down the government over a graft trial involving members of his party in which a judge questioned the credibility of his testimony.

Rajoy said Spain needed political stability in order to keep on track the strong economic recovery it is currently enjoying and he would serve his four-year term.

“The no-confidence motion goes against the political stability that our country needs and it goes against the economic recovery. It is bad for Spain,” Rajoy told a news conference. (Reporting by Julien Toyer Editing by Jesus Aguado)</s>At the height of a corruption scandal five years ago, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy of Spain denied his party had operated a slush fund, shortly after his former treasurer was found to have hidden millions in Swiss banks.

Mr. Rajoy also promised full transparency to stop a scandal based on what he called “apocryphal” evidence from further undermining his party. “This is as far as it will go,” the prime minister said at the time in a televised address.

Now, however, the issue of corruption in Mr. Rajoy’s Popular Party has returned with a vengeance to the top of Spain’s political agenda, threatening the survival of his minority conservative government.

On Friday, the main Socialist opposition party presented a parliamentary motion to hold a vote of no-confidence to oust Mr. Rajoy, a day after his party’s former treasurer, Luis Bárcenas, was sentenced to 33 years in prison and fined 44 million euros (about $51.3 million) for benefiting from a kickbacks-for-contracts scheme.</s>MADRID, May 25 (Reuters) - Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said he would not call a snap election after two parties threatened to bring down the government over a graft trial involving members of his party in which a judge questioned the credibility of his testimony.

Rajoy said Spain needed political stability in order to keep on track the strong economic recovery it is currently enjoying and he would serve his four-year term.

"The no-confidence motion goes against the political stability that our country needs and it goes against the economic recovery. It is bad for Spain," Rajoy told a news conference. (Reporting by Julien Toyer Editing by Jesus Aguado)</s>The Spanish government is in deep trouble and it could fall, leading the way for a multi-party coalition. Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy iss threatened with no-confidence motions and demands for a snap election over a graft trial involving members of his party in which a judge cast doubt on his testimony. The Socialists are preparing to call a no-confidence vote which could lead to the fall of his government as it doesn't have an overall majority. A snap election is being called for by Ciudadanos, the new centre-right party which is rapidly seen as a party of government. 



Rajoy and his government are against the ropes and I can't see how they will survive unless he performs the biggest "Great Escape" in Spanish politics. The crux of the problem for the Partido Popular is corruption. The image of the party has been tainted by corruption cases up and down the country. Rajoy himself has been caught up in the Gurtel scandal which relates to the use of a slush fund by the conservatives in the 1990s and early 2000s to illegally finance campaigns. He has always denied wrongdoing. Rajoy has said that he will not be calling a snap election because he would probably lose as a result of the new strength of Ciudadanos. A coalition of the socialists and Ciudadanos is a distinct possibility. 



Rajoy will be fighting for his political life over the coming weeks and months but the clock is ticking. His government is in serious danger of falling.</s>MADRID (Reuters) - Spain’s Ciudadanos party on Friday said it was ready to put forward its own motion of no confidence against Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy over a graft case involving members of his People’s Party.

“If Rajoy does not call snap elections we would be ready to put forward (our own) motion of no confidence in order to hold elections,” Jose Manuel Villegas a senior member of the pro-business Ciudadanos said during a press conference.

The opposition Socialists have put forward their own motion of no confidence.</s>MADRID (Reuters) - Spain’s socialist leader Pedro Sanchez on Friday said it would call a snap election if his party was to win the no confidence vote it put forward against Prime Minister Mariano over a graft case involving members of his People’s Party.

“Our motion of confidence has been put forward to form a socialist government and recover political and institutional normality. But we would then call snap elections as soon as possible,” Sanchez told a news conference.
The Citizens party gives an ultimatum to Rajoy to call snap elections or otherwise they'll support the motion of no confidence.