During the call, the President of the Government reiterated the arguments he outlined last week during the investiture debate on the urgent need for Spain to have a government that can provide a response to the commitments it faces and maintain the momentum of the economic recovery and the rhythm of job creation.
He specifically referred to the urgent need to present the Lower House with the Draft General State Budget, on which thousands of subsidies and millions of public benefits depend, including pensions. He also underlined the fact that an acting government cannot adopt the necessary measures to offset the undesirable effects of extending the budget deadline, as has happened on other occasions.
He also recalled the overriding obligation to meet our commitment with Brussels prior to 15 October in order to smooth the path to correcting our public deficit. Once again the President of the Government explained to the Socialist leader the serious consequences of not meeting this commitment, as well as other harmful effects that are already being felt as a result of the political stalemate and lack of a government.
All of these reasons, together with the unprecedented fact that elections have already been held on two occasions and that Spain is subject to a very serious threat to its territorial unity, make this an exceptional situation that is forcing political representatives to adopt consequential decisions.
In this regard, Mariano Rajoy reminded Pedro Sánchez that in December 2015, as the clear winner in the elections, he offered to form a government with him by way of a great coalition between the pro-Constitutional parties: the People's Party, the PSOE [Spanish Socialist Workers' Party] and Ciudadanos. He reiterated this offer following the elections in June this year, when the election victory margin was even greater. Despite the repeated refusals to reach an agreement, he once again offered broad State agreements during the investiture debate that would allow the next legislature to get under way and avoid the Spanish people having to go back to the ballot box.
The acting President of the Government and President of the People's Party invited the Socialist leader to reflect on the political stalemate, and the mistrust and unease being felt by the people of Spain as a whole, which this situation is provoking.
Consequently, he urged the Socialist leader to reconsider his position and reflect on the suitability of reaching broad State agreements in order to tackle the pro-independence threat, to negotiate a new system of regional financing, to tackle a pact on the model of education, on pensions, on gender-based violence and on the pending institutional reforms, and in order to meet our commitments with Europe.
The acting President of the Government offered to initiate sector negotiations with Pedro Sánchez on these issues and others that arose during the investiture debate with a view to reaching a potential agreement which, logically, would be headed up by the party and candidate that was the first choice of the Spanish people in both general elections.
According to President of the Government Rajoy, this exceptional agreement and understanding between the main pro-Constitution parties is what is required in response to this exceptional situation in Spain, which would help reassure the Spanish people and those abroad who are observing what is happening with growing concern.
In short, Mariano Rajoy reiterated to him the approach he has been advocating since December, thanked Pedro Sánchez for talking by phone and they agreed to continue speaking about the future of Spain.
Pool Moncloa/archivo