National
Socialist Party expects Zapatero to be invested in the second round of voting in Congress this week
By h.b.
Apr 7, 2008 - 7:08 PM

The Socialist Party is expecting José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero to be elected as Prime Minister in the second round of voting in Congress this week. José Blanco, the party’s organisation secretary confirmed that they did not expect support for an overall majority which would be needed for Zapatero to be invested after a single round of voting in the debate tomorrow and Wednesday.

If there is no overall majority, a simply majority would suffice in a second round of voting which would take place 48 hours later, on Friday.

During his investiture speech Zapatero is expected to offer a new agreement against terrorism which will specifically exclude dialogue with the Basque terrorists ETA. The rest of the speech will concentrate on the Government’s measures in the face of the economic slowdown.

Measures will be offered to stimulate the construction industry, including bringing forward planned public works, increasing the budget for road building, and also for railways with AVE high speed lines to Valencia and between Valladolid and Galicia.

Other economic measures will include state help to families which have difficulty in paying their mortgage, by arranging a longer payment plan. New measures to ease the relocation of the unemployed and help of 350 € a month for three months for some unemployed. 400 € will be returned to income tax payers who pay more than that amount to Hacienda, with the first 200 € being credited to the wages paid in June.

The Prime Minister will say that Spain will have more than 1,000 cubic hectometres of drinking water a year from desalination plants by the year 2012.
There are also plans to renew the General Council for Judicial Power which oversees the judiciary, and four of the 12 judges which make up the Constitutional Court will be replaced.

Zapatero is also expected to highlight the leadership of Spain in social protection.