A hastily convened meeting of the federal executive of PSOE will this morning consider the raising of a vote of no confidence in Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy. This follows sentences announced yesterday by the Audiencia Nacional high court in Madrid in respect of the "caso Gürtel", an investigation that originated in late 2007 and which has now led to the Partido Popular becoming the first political party to be found guilty of corruption.
Gürtel has centred on investigation of the main accused, Francisco Correa (Gürtel is German for correa, meaning belt in English), and links to illicit party funding and the awarding of public sector contracts. Correa has been sentenced to 51 years and three months, while a former treasurer of the PP, Luis Bárcenas, has been given a sentence of 33 years and four months plus a fine of 44 million euros.
Bárcenas has been at the centre of the PP's "B accounts" affair, which found its way into the Gürtel case. The court has determined that the B accounts were a "financial structure parallel to official accounts from at least 1989". The income and spending from these accounts were for the party and for people "relevant to the party".
The PP has been fined 245,000 euros for having been a beneficiary from Gürtel, while the court has drawn into question the credibility of Rajoy's witness statements in connection with the Bárcenas "papers" (ledgers from the B accounts). Rajoy and other witnesses, in the court's estimation, did not refute "the overwhelming evidence with regard to the existence of the B accounts".
Pedro Sánchez, the general secretary of PSOE, says that he will look for a vote of no confidence in Rajoy. Pablo Iglesias of Podemos has indicated that his party would back this.
Under the Constitution, a majority is needed for a vote of no confidence to be passed. In Congress, this means 176 votes in favour; there are 350 seats in Congress. If the vote is successful, the prime minister and government are obliged to resign.
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Mr Rajoy claims that Sanchez wants to govern at all costs yet is that not the same with Rajoy who prostituted himself and was willing to jump into bed with any parties who would allow him to form a government. Sadly all politicians are the same. Rajoy"s only saving grace has been his stand against Puigdemont and while I do not like the man, his hard-line approach is needed to keep a united Spain and protect those in Catalonia who want to stay in Spain.
They got caught,so have many others of all parties in Spain,Majorca is as corrupt as anywhere in Spain and there are plenty who have yet to be caught so no party in Spain or Majorca can point a finger at any other party.