Acting Spanish Prime Minister Against Including Podemos Leader In Government

Umer Jamshaid Published July 18, 2019 | 11:16 PM

Acting Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Thursday that he was against including Pablo Iglesias, the leader of the Podemos party, in the government

MADRID (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th July, 2019) Acting Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Thursday that he was against including Pablo Iglesias, the leader of the Podemos party, in the government.

On Monday, the coalition talks between the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party and Unidas Podemos collapsed.

"Iglesias is the main obstacle for a coalition government between the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party and Unidas Podemos. There are no conditions for Iglesias to become a member of that government," Sanchez told the La Sexta channel.

Among the reasons, Sanchez named the approach to the sentences to some Catalan politicians, who were involved in the organization of the independence referendum in Catalonia. Iglesias views them as political prisoners.

"I need a deputy prime minister who protects Spanish democracy, defends the fact that [Spain] is a state governed by the rule of law, that the judiciary is independent from the executive branch of power and nobody is persecuted for ideas," Sanchez said.

The politician, however, assured that the offer to include qualified candidates from Podemos in the government was still relevant until next week.

Sanchez's Socialists won April's election but fell short of an outright majority and turned to Podemos for support. The leftist party insisted that they rule in a coalition. The Spanish parliament will vote next Tuesday on whether to back Sanchez as prime minister in what will be effectively a confidence vote. If he fails to gain an absolute majority, a second vote will be held in two days where he will need a simple majority to form a minority government.