National
Zapatero fails to obtain overall majority in first investiture vote
By h.b.
Apr 9, 2008 - 8:44 PM

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.