Moncloa Palace, Madrid
Mariano Rajoy attributed some of the "merciless" criticism he has received from the opposition to his need at the time to adopt certain measures (such as freezing wages for civil servants and raising VAT). "When you are on the verge of bankruptcy, decisions need to be taken. Pensions are the only thing I haven't lowered during my time in office. We have readjusted everything else. The reason was simply because we were collecting 90 billion euros less in revenue than we were spending", he said.
Mariano Rajoy stressed that 20 December is the most likely date for the general elections. "I wanted to approve the General State Budget, and I cannot do that until the end of October. The only reason is because I want Spain to have a budget it can show Europe, thereby offering a sense of seriousness and formality", he said.
"I will forever stand firm on national unity"
Pool MoncloaOn the matter of Catalonia, the President of the Government, Mariano Rajoy, said that he will "forever stand firm on national unity". In his opinion, "it is the people of Spain who decide what Spain is". Furthermore, the President of the Government recognised that certain communication errors were made during the course of this legislature by concentrating on the work in hand. "They talk about flaws in our communication policy" but, as he admitted, the mistake was his because he was the one who needed to communicate.
Mariano Rajoy also spoke about other political leaders. In this regard, he asked Pedro Sánchez to explain what he intends to do. In response to whether the Ciudadanos party is the "generic brand" of the Partido Popular, he explained that Albert Rivera has his own party and takes his own decisions. As regards Pablo Iglesias, he said that, by becoming an MEP, he now forms part of "that very caste" he once criticised.
He will stand and fight in the general elections
The President of the Government recognised that many PP voters stayed at home in May during the municipal and regional elections. However, he said he is willing to stand and fight in the general elections because "I sincerely believe that the political project I head up is now the most suitable for Spain".
Pool MoncloaAfter highlighting his disappointment upon hearing of certain corruption cases, Mariano Rajoy said that "this matter has done us more harm than even those decisions we were forced to take in terms of our economic policy". Furthermore, he stressed that the people "who did what they shouldn't have done" have since been removed.
During the report, the President of the Government revealed various rooms in Moncloa Palace (such as his own office and the room where he meets with the Council of Ministers), explained a few curious facts (such as how the photographs on the staircase are arranged) and, on more personal matters, he spoke about his progress in his English classes.
Pool Moncloa