Canal 24 Horas

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SPAIN ENTERS COALITION PERIOD BETWEEN PEOPLE'S PARTY AND CITIZENS​

Spain took a leap into the political unknown last night when the People's Party and Citizens formed the first full coalition government in Spain's history, with Pablo Casado serving as the country's prime minister and Inés Arrimadas becoming his deputy.

Pablo Casado finally entered the Palace of Moncloa after seeing the King at the Palace of Zarzuela last night – concluding a staggering sixteen-day political tug of war.

On the steps of the Palace of Moncloa, Pablo Casado, Spain's youngest ever prime minister, said: "This is going to be hard and difficult work. A coalition will throw up all sorts of challenges. But I believe that together we can provide that strong and stable government that our country needs."

 

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SPANISH MINISTER RESIGNS OVER CARRIER SCANDAL​

María Dolores de Cospedal has tendered her resignation to the Prime Minister after missing funds had been circulated to an aircraft carrier project. The funds of $465,700,000 had been allocated to the Ministry of Defence for use in the Spanish Army which had been inappropriately used.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence declined to comment on the situation but Attorney General
Eduardo Torres-Dulce has stated that a case could be opened against the former Minister who has also resigned from her seat of Toledo in the Congress of Deputies.

Leader of the Opposition, Susana Díaz said: "This is a disgrace to Spain and I call on the resignation of Pablo Casado as he cannot be trusted to run the country if his Ministers cannot be trusted to spend public funds."

Prime Minister Pablo Casado was soon to name a new Minister of Defence and has appointed a close ally to head the Ministry of Defence and has named Pedro Morenés as the new Minister of Defence. Pedro Morenés is currently the Spanish Ambassador to the Global Assembly.

 

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MADRID PLACED INTO LOCKDOWN DUE TO MAJOR INCIDENT​

A major incident has been declared in Madrid and the entire city has been placed into lockdown to coordinate the response between Spanish emergency teams. Police officers have been drafted in from different parts of Madrid to enforce a lockdown which was called by Isabel Díaz Ayuso, the President of the Community of Madrid who has informed the Prime Minister of the lockdown.

Businesses in different parts of the capital city have been closed and some large businesses have been told to shelter employees and employees from nearby businesses if they live far away to travel home. It is believed that some members of the government have been taken to a secure building where they are coordinating national efforts to protect and preserve the country as a whole alongside the Prime Minister.

Police Director Barbara Valdueza said in a brief statement on social media: "If anyone has any information about the incident in Madrid then please get in touch with us immediately, however big or small the information is, it may help us in our investigation to find out what has gone on."

 

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SPANISH GOVERNMENT ISSUES STATEMENT​

"Good morning and welcome to a very sombre briefing today, I come with good news and very sad news. A very tragic event struck the city of Madrid which claimed the lives of many innocent people who should have made it back home to their families but tragically had their lives snatched away from them by two cowards. It has been identified in a joint operation by the Civil Guard and the National Police Corps that there are two attackers involved in the Madrid bombings and I want to pay my tributes to those officers involved as well as those involved in many other ways such as the doctors, nurses, firefighters, business owners sheltering employees, the list goes on, the entire country appreciates what you have done to protect innocent lives.

We currently have identified two suspects as stated before in the Madrid bombings and we're currently tracing them as we speak. These cowardly attackers will be brought to justice and if you have sighted either individual then please make contact with the Civil Guard or National Police Corps on 112. The Civil Guard and National Police Corps have released a picture of two suspects they would like to speak to regarding the attack. The Prime Minister has received condolences from many countries around the world and expresses his gratitude to these countries throughout this tragic time.

The National Institute of Health Management had previously issued figures that had stood at 142 people had died, 442 people in a serious but stable condition and 199 people are in intensive care. These figures have sadly changed and 301 people have passed away and 58 more people have been admitted to intensive care units.

We will overcome this, for our families, for our friends and for our country. Thank you."

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PEOPLES PARTY ROCKED BY MAJOR CORRUPTION CASE​

The Supreme Court of Spain has convicted 29 people, including former senior officials of Prime Minister Pablo Casado's People's Party, and sentenced them to a total of 351 years in prison on Thursday in one of the country's biggest corruption scandals in modern history.

The court said People's Party politicians participated in “an authentic and efficient system of institutional corruption via mechanisms to manipulate public tenders at the national, regional and local level” between 1992 and 1995, most of it under the rule of former conservative Prime Minister José María Aznar and while Casado himself held key positions in both the government and the party.

The 29 politicians and business people convicted on Thursday include former Prime Minister José María Aznar who currently holds the position as Spain's Ambassador to the Global Assembly has been sentenced to 23 years in prison. People's Party treasurer Luis Bárcenas, who was sentenced to 33 years in jail for money laundering, bribery and other related offences. A former People's Party mayor of Majadahonda in the region of Madrid, Guillermo Ortega, was also sentenced to 38 years in prison. Former People's Party health minister Ana Mato was found to have benefited from the graft scheme and ordered to repay $128,000.

The mastermind behind the plot, businessman Francisco Correa, was sentenced to 51 years in prison.

The ruling comes as a surprise as Spain currently is dealing with the aftermath of the recent Madrid bombings as well as the ongoing situation with Iraq, the Leader of the Opposition has described the ruling as absolutely shameful and has called on the Prime Minister to resign and call an election.

“The PP is much more than 10 or 15 isolated cases. We’ve been ruling for many years” — Pablo Casado

 

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PARLIAMENT OUSTS SPANISH PRIME MINISTER AND IS REPLACED BY SOCIALIST LEADER PEDRO SANCHEZ​

The tenure of Pablo Casado as qbruptly come to an end after losing a motion of no confidence vote in the Congress of Deputies with his own coalition party voting to oust the Prime Minister with the vote being led by Socialist Pedro Sánchez, who replaces him as the country’s leader.

In the first successful no-confidence motion in modern Spanish history, 180 members of parliament voted to remove Mr Casado from office, with 169 voting against and one abstention.

“A new era is beginning in Spanish politics,” said Mr Sánchez, after the result was announced. “I reach out to all the parliamentary groups to open this new era. I hope we are all up to the challenge.”

Mr Sánchez had presented the motion alleging that Mr Casado no longer had credibility to govern due to a series of corruption scandals that have rocked his People's Party (PP) in recent years. Just yesterday, the Supreme Court jailed several former members of the party, underlined the PP’s links to a massive kickbacks network and cast doubt on Mr Casado’s own testimony in a court appearance last year.

Spain’s constitution states that if a candidate successfully wins a no-confidence motion then he or she automatically becomes prime minister.

 

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PEDRO SANCHEZ SWORN IN AS SPAIN'S PRIME MINISTER AFTER NO-CONFIDENCE VOTE
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Pedro Sánchez has been sworn in as Spain’s new prime minister today, a day after a historic vote of no confidence vote which brought down the government of Pablo Casado which sent shockwaves through Spanish politics.

Sánchez, whose Spanish Socialist Workers' Party relied on support from the anti-austerity Podemos party as well as Basque and Catalan nationalists to depose Pablo Casado, will have to govern with just 84 MPs in Spain’s 350-seat parliament.

"I am aware of the responsibility I am assuming, of the complex political moment our country is going through and I will rise to all the challenges with humility and dedication," Sanchez said after the vote to remove Casado from office.

Spain's once entrenched two-party system has given way to a splintering of left-wing and right-wing currents.

Sánchez, Secretary General of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party, was sworn in today — and he’s wasted no time in shaking things up. His new cabinet includes fourteen women and ten men which comes as a shock with Spain having a male-dominant parliament. Most of the top posts in Spain's new cabinet including the three deputy prime ministers, foreign minister, defence minister, economy minister and finance minister are all held by female members.

 

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KING JUAN CARLOS TO ABDICATE THRONE IN FAVOUR OF SON​

After 21 years on the throne, King Juan Carlos of Spain will abdicate in favour of his son Crown Prince Felipe, the king said in a televised address on Saturday. Hours after the prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, broke the news, the king explained his decision on Spanish television and radio. He highlighted his pride in the "transformation of Spain" and the "tremendous amount achieved by all" since the country's transition into democracy.

The decision to step down, he said, was made after his birthday in January. His son Felipe, he assured Spaniards, "has the maturity, preparation, and sense of responsibility necessary to assume the title of head of state and open a new era of hope which combines the experience and momentum of a new generation."

Once one of the world's most popular monarchs, more recently Juan Carlos has been plagued by a series of health scares that have sent his popularity plummeting. A poll by El Mundo last year found that nearly two-thirds of Spaniards thought the king should abdicate. In contrast, Prince Felipe, a former Olympic yachtsman, has come out relatively unscathed. Frequently photographed while taking their two daughters to school or at shopping malls, Felipe and his wife Letizia Ortiz - a former television news anchor - have cultivated an image of leading a relatively modest lifestyle.

Fluent in English, French and Catalan along with Spanish, Felipe studied for a year in Canada before undertaking three years of military training in Spain's army, navy and air force academy. A law degree in Madrid soon followed, as well as a Masters in international relations at Georgetown University in Washington, DC

"His goal, his only goal, is to serve Spain. It has been deeply ingrained in him that he must be the country's main servant," his mother Queen Sofia once said.

 

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KING FELIPE VI SWORN IN AS KING OF SPAIN​

King Felipe VI has called for "a new Spain that we will build together" after being proclaimed head of state in a ceremony in parliament. Earlier, King Felipe received the royal sash from his father, Juan Carlos, at the Zarzuela Palace near Madrid. He acceded to the throne at the stroke of midnight after King Juan Carlos formally abdicated on Saturday evening. The proceedings have been kept low key, as many Spaniards are suffering economic hardship.

The swearing-in ceremony took the form of a proclamation rather than a coronation. It is the first royal transition in Spain since democracy was restored in the 1970s. The new king, swore an oath promising to uphold the constitution. The speaker of the lower house of parliament, Meritxell Batet, then proclaimed him king, declaring: "Long live Spain! Long live the king!"

In a speech to parliament, Felipe said he had "great hope" for the future of Spain and called for unity. "You will find in me a loyal head of state who is ready listen and understand, warn and advise as well as to defend the public interest at all times. The monarch wants to be close to citizens… ensuring it can preserve its prestige and dignity. Now more than ever, citizens of Spain are rightly demanding fundamental ethical principles should govern our public life. The king should not only be a reference but who serves all citizens of Spain." he said.

No foreign leaders or royal families were invited to Thursday's ceremonies.

After the proclamation, Felipe, his wife Queen Letizia and their daughters Princess Leonor and Princess Sofia were driven through Madrid's streets and the family appeared on the front balcony of the Royal Palace.

 

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SPANISH GOVERNMENT PUSHING FOR DEATH PENALTY​

Dolores Delgado, the current Attorney General of Spain and former Minister of Justice has today taken her case to the Supreme Court of Spain to seek that those responsible in the Madrid bombings be given the death penalty for their actions. The government has supported her actions as she seeks justice for those who have lost their lives.

The Kingdom of Spain outlawed capital punishment in 1995 but human rights campaigners have voice concerns with protests seen outside the Supreme Court whilst a session of the court was taking place. "This will just lead the government down the wrong path and will enable them to push for more death penalties for other suspects who have committed other serious crimes." said Cristina Cueva who was leading the demonstration outside the courts.

The opposition party, also known as the People's Party has slammed the government for their reckless proposals and their leader took to social media to voice serious concerns over the proposals. "What the government is proposing is absolutely ludicrous, Dolores Delgado should resign with immediate effect." said Teodoro García Egea

The Supreme Court is expected to hear from the government over the next five days about the ongoing proposals.