National
Agreement reached for government in Navarra
By m.p
Aug 8, 2007 - 9:01 PM

Agreement has been reached in Navarra for a repeat of the previous legislature’s coalition government between the Navarra Partido Popular, UPN, and the CDN party, Convergencia de Demócratas de Navarra.

It gives presidency of the region and the majority of the departments to UPN, with two – education, and housing and territorial planning – to CDN.

The difference on this occasion is that the coalition will be governing in minority, with just 48% representation in the Navarra parliament: UPN’s 22 seats, and CDN’s two.

The announcement came from the two parties’ leaders – Miguel Sanz for UPN, and Juan Cruz Alli for CDN, after the third negotiating meeting to have taken place since the news last Friday that PSOE leadership in Madrid had vetoed a proposed pact between the Navarra Socialists – PSN - and the regionalist party, NaiBai.

That decision led the PSN candidate for presidency, Fernando Puras, to resign as PSN spokesman in the regional parliament and as a deputy.

PSN say they will abstain in the vote which takes place this Saturday to re-elect Miguel Sanz as President of Navarra, who presents his programme for government to the Navarra parliament on Thursday, based on the agreement now reached.

The UPN and CDN leaders said after signing the pact on Wednesday that the door is open for PSN to form part of the regional executive in the future.

The Deputy Prime Minister, María Teresa Fernández de la Vega, commented from Buenos Aires however, that PSN would carry out a loyal and constructive opposition.

Central government offices in Navarra have meanwhile condemned a Molotov cocktail attack on the UPN offices in Tafalla early on Wednesday, which caused fire damage to the office balcony.