Senior Spanish Socialists quit en masse in move to end political deadlock

Record ID: 83274

  • Title: Senior Spanish Socialists quit en masse in move to end political deadlock
  • Date: 29th September 2016
  • Summary: MADRID, SPAIN (FILE) (REUTERS) **** WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY **** VARIOUS OF SANCHEZ ARRIVING AT CAMPAIGN RALLY VARIOUS OF SUPPORTERS TAKING SELFIES WITH SANCHEZ SANCHEZ TALKING TO SUPPORTERS SANCHEZ SMILING MADRID, SPAIN (FILE - DECEMBER 20, 2015) (REUTERS) SANCHEZ ARRIVING TO VOTE AT GENERAL ELECTION SANCHEZ SANCHEZ VOTING SANCHEZ LEAVING MADRID, SPAIN (FILE, DECEMBER 2015) (REUTERS) CAR CARRYING SANCHEZ ARRIVING AT MONCLOA PALACE, ACTING PRIME MINISTER MARIANO RAJOY COMING OUT OF MONCLOA PALACE AND GREETING SANCHEZ AS HE COMES OUT OF THE CAR RAJOY AND SANCHEZ SHAKING HANDS AND POSING FOR MEDIA AT TOP OF STEPS HANDSHAKE, RAJOY AND SANCHEZ ENTERING MONCLOA PALACE
  • Embargoed: 14th October 2016 11:14
  • Keywords: Spain Politics Pedro Sanchez Socialist Party PSOE Government Madrid
  • Location: MADRID, SPAIN
  • City: MADRID, SPAIN
  • Country: Spain
  • Topics: Government/Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA00351MBTJB
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Spain's Socialist party descended into internal warfare on Wednesday (September 28) as senior members resigned en masse in a bid to unseat their leader and break a political impasse that has left the nation without a new government for nine months.
    A stand-off between the Socialists, headed by Pedro Sanchez, and the centre-right People's Party (PP) - which won the most votes but fell short of a majority in two inconclusive national elections - has frustrated attempts to form a government.
    But dissent has been growing within the Socialists over whether the party should keep blocking acting PP Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's bid for a second term.
    On Wednesday, 17 members of the Socialists' 38-strong executive committee resigned together in a manoeuvre to force Sanchez out and help to ease in a new administration.
    After the resignation of two members some months ago and the death of another, the committee now has fewer than half its original members, which should force its dissolution and usher in an interim management. The party conference would then have to choose a new leader in a few weeks.
    "When the secretary general of an executive committee resigns or more than half of its members resign, that immediately means that executive committee is dissolved," said Veronica Perez, president of the Socialist Party Federal Committee amongst a media scrum at the Socialist Party headquarters in Madrid on Thursday (September 29).
    Most analysts believe a new leader would pave the way for the Socialists to tolerate a new Rajoy government, thus ending a stalemate prevailing since the inconclusive election in December last year.
    But other committee members said party rules did not allow for such a scenario to transpire and that Sanchez remained their leader.
    Sanchez arrived at the party headquarters in Madrid on Thursday (September 29) morning where he was meeting with his party supporters.
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