Joe Duggan (Reporter)
PABLO Iglesias has lost his motion of no-confidence in prime minister Mariano Rajoy.
Only 82 MPs voted in favour of the Podemos leader’s motion, with 170 voting against and 97 abstentions, following a 12-hour debate in Congress.
Iglesias filed the motion in protest at a series of corruption scandals that have engulfed Rajoy’s right-wing PP party.
Rajoy said: “I am happy because the motion has been rejected by an absolute majority.
“It has been a very important rejection because in other countries in Europe rejection has produced radicals and extremists.”
Podemos were only able to muster the support of 15 MPs outside their own 67 Congress representatives.
Albert Rivera’s Ciudadanos voted with Rajoy’s party in the no-confidence vote.
He was never going to win the motion, but he managed to air the subject of PP corruption and will have brought about the end of Rajoy. The PP corruption mentioned in the debate, by name: Caso Gürtel, Caso Púnica, Caso Lezo, Caso Acuamed, Caso Nóos, Caso Andratx, Caso Auditorio, Caso Baltar, Caso Bárcenas, Caso Biblioteca, Caso Bitel, Caso Bon Sec, Caso Bomsai, Caso Brugal, Caso Caballo de Troya, Caso Camps, Caso Campeón, Caso Carioca, Caso Carmelitas, Caso Castellano, Caso Catis, Caso Ciudad del Golf, Caso de la Construcción, Caso del Lino, Caso El Robledillo, Caso Emarsa, Caso Eólico Canarias, Caso Faycan,
Caso Fitur, Caso Funeraria, Caso Guateque, Caso Ibatur, Caso Imelsa, Caso Inestur, Caso Lasarte, Caso Líber, Caso Madeja, Caso Marchela, Caso Mercamadrid, Caso Naseiro, Caso Nuevo Cartagho, Caso Ópera, Caso Orquesta, Caso Over Márketing, Caso Palma Arena, Caso Patos, Caso Piscina, Caso Pokémon, Casi Porto, Caso Rasputin, Caso Scala, Caso Taula, Caso Terra Natura, Caso Torres de Calatrava, Caso Torrevieja, Caso Totem, Caso Troya, Caso Túnel de Sóller, Caso Turismo Joven, Caso Umbra, Caso Uniformes, Caso Zeta, Caso Parques Eólicos… and counting.
Problem still remains that the public is reticent to act. Politics for most seems to be a choice between bad apples or abstaining which, of course, favors the stats quo and corruption.