​"A government needs to be formed urgently because there are many issues requiring decisions to be taken", says Mariano Rajoy

Lower House of Parliament

During a brief meeting with the media, Mariano Rajoy sent out three messages. Firstly, he stressed that "elections cannot be repeated under any circumstance", because "it would be ridiculous" and because "you cannot have a country at a standstill for such a long time".

Secondly, the President of the Government underlined that "the government must be formed as soon as possible", since "we are facing many important decisions at this time". "It has been a year now, there are many issues pending and not a single draft bill has been presented to Parliament".

The third message sent out by Mariano Rajoy referred to the stability of the next government. In his opinion, the new government "must have the greatest level of stability possible" because "it is not only a case of holding a vote of confidence and for Spain to have a government", but also for "this government to be able to govern".

Ceiling on spending and budget

After stating that the "main goal in the near future" must be to form a new government, Mariano Rajoy recalled that in August the government must approve the ceiling on spending by all public authorities. "Without the ceiling on spending and without approving the new path of the public deficit, the budget cannot be drawn up in a reasonable and normal manner".

According to the explanation offered by the President of the Government, the Council of Ministers must approve the General State Budget for 2017 on 23 September, "in order to present it to the Lower House of Parliament, debate it and approve it before December this year".

Brexit and other European issues

Mariano Rajoy added that the formation of a new government is urgent because "there are many issues related to our membership of the EU that require decisions to be taken". The most urgent issue, he pointed out, is to tackle the consequences of the Brexit, but there are also other important issues on the agenda such as the single energy market and the digital single market.

At the end of this speech, the President of the Government highlighted the positive economic figures announced in recent days and the need for political stability. "If the economy is buoyant, it would be a shame if those of us who were elected on 26 June were unable to form a government and for things to start getting complicated".