Mr Rajoy still wants to steer the Popular Party from the front

DESPITE regular rumours about general dissatisfaction within the party over the leadership of Mariano Rajoy, he made it clear in a radio interview with COPE radio on Monday March 7 that he had no intention of resigning saying “If my party wants me to, I would still like to be our candidate at the election”.

There had been some suggestion that because he is so unpopular with so many opposition leaders in Spain that a compromise leader in the form of current interim deputy prime minister Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría would be a more acceptable alternative to Mr Rajoy, but only time will tell.

During the interview, he once again dismissed any suggestion that the PP should have supported a coalition with PSOE and also denied that he was wrong in not accepting the invitation of the king to try to form a government.

He indicated that now that the second vote had gone against the PSOE, he would be contacting their leader Pedro Sanchez but gave no indication of what he intended to say. 

With no party currently anywhere near to obtaining enough seats to form a majority coalition, it looks as if there could either be a brave attempt at a minority government or, more likely, another election on June 26.