King asks Mariano Rajoy to form new government in Spain
'I will do all I can so that Spain gets a government, but it doesn't only depend on me,' acting PM said.
By Hortense Goulard
July 28, 2016	10:05 pm
Spain's Acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said Thursday King Felipe VI had asked him to try and form a new government in an attempt to break seven months of political deadlock, according to AFP.
Rajoy, from the center-right Popular Party (PP), said he had "accepted this assignment" and would work to get the necessary support.
The announcement came as the leader of the liberal Ciudadanos party, Albert Rivera, said he was ready to take part in a coalition government with the Socialist Party (PSOE) and Rajoy's PP, Reuters reported.
Rivera said if necessary Rajoy should step aside to make a deal possible.
"There are two options," Rivera said Thursday, when he also met the king. "A strong government built on consensus or a minority government of the party with the most votes."
Spain has been without a functioning government since elections last December failed to give any party an absolute majority. Successive efforts to form a governing coalition then failed, leading to new elections in June, where again, no party secured an absolute majority.
While Rajoy's Popular Party won the most seats, it still needs to convince other parties to build a coalition.
Rajoy said he would work to avoid a third round of elections.
"I will do all I can so that Spain gets a government, but it doesn't only depend on me," he said.
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Elections	Spanish politics
Albert Rivera	Mariano Rajoy