typicallyspanish.com

Spain News : National
+ Larger Font | + Smaller Font
Zapatero fails to obtain overall majority in first investiture vote
By h.b. - Apr 9, 2008 - 8:44 PM
ALSO SEE : • Spanish Government announces plans to promote religious freedom - May 8, 2008 - 8:43 AM
• Zapatero appears on national television programme 59 segundos - Apr 29, 2008 - 8:16 AM

José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero in Congress today - Photo EFE
enlarge photo

The acting Prime Minister was only supported by 158 Socialist votes
As expected, the acting Prime Minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, failed to obtain an overall majority in his investiture vote in Congress today. It comes as he has preferred not to turn to the Nationalist Parties to obtain formal support, and as the Partido Popular voted against.

He has the dubious honour of being the first acting Prime Minister in democratic Spain who will have to turn to the second vote, in 48 hours time on Friday, in which he will only need a simply majority to be formally elected back into the post. Calvo Sotelo was also selected in the second vote, but unlike Zapatero he had not been chosen in a General Election.

The sums were as expected with Zapatero only being supported by his 168 Socialists. There were 158 votes against from the PP, ERC and Rosa Diaz, and 23 abstentions. He seemed unsurprised by the vote and enthusiastic for the second vote on Friday.


 smartphone/pda/iphone |  email this article |  printer friendly page

 del.icio.us |  digg |  technorati |  yahoo | Stumble It!
Facebook | Reddit | Newsvine | Meneame | Wikio | Blink

ALSO SEE :
• Spanish Government announces plans to promote religious freedom - May 8, 2008 - 8:43 AM
• Zapatero appears on national television programme 59 segundos - Apr 29, 2008 - 8:16 AM
• 71 percent of Partido Popular voters want to see primary elections for party leader - Apr 27, 2008 - 10:03 AM
• King and Queen open the ninth legislature of the Spanish parliament - Apr 16, 2008 - 7:18 AM
• A new look cabinet heralds the new political legislature in Spain - Apr 13, 2008 - 8:50 PM
• José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero invested as Prime Minister of Spain - Apr 11, 2008 - 7:08 PM
• José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero invested as Prime Minister of Spain today - Apr 11, 2008 - 7:42 AM
• Little agreement on the first day of the debate to invest José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero as Prime Minister - Apr 8, 2008 - 7:06 PM
• Socialist Party expects Zapatero to be invested in the second round of voting in Congress this week - Apr 7, 2008 - 7:08 PM
• José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero 0, Fernando Torres 1 - Apr 4, 2008 - 7:34 PM