​Statements by President of the Government in Lower House of Parliament

Q.- President of the Government, what can you tell us about the death of Emilio Botín?

President of the Government.- This came as a real surprise to me, because I held a meeting with him only last week and he seemed to be in really good health; I found him to be cheerful and well. This has come as a surprise and has been a tremendous blow.

Emilio Botín is someone who was able to turn Banco de Santander into the most important bank in our country. He has been a fine ambassador for the Spain Brand, taking the bank to such countries as the United Kingdom, the United States, Brazil, Poland, Mexico and elsewhere. And I can only say at this time how much I regret his passing; and I send my very best regards to his whole family; and I hope that those issues that need to be resolved can be done so as swiftly as possible and the bank can continue to be a great flagship of the Spain Brand and continue to act as a financial institution, just as it should at these times in which we find ourselves.

Q.- As regards Ana Botella standing down, will this speed up the list of candidates?

President of the Government.- No. As I said at the Executive Committee, in principle the deadline we have given is - which I must say seems fairly logical to me - until the day on which we have to present the electoral lists to the Electoral Boards. In certain cases, the candidates will be selected sooner, others later, depending on the individual circumstances of each constituency, but that is nothing new.

Ana Botella has been an extraordinary mayor; she notified me that she wanted to step down but that she would continue to defend the interests of the people of Madrid from City Hall and I said that I understood her. What I should say is that she has done things very well, she has made a great effort, which she will continue to do until her last day in office, supporting all of us.

Thank you very much.