Spanish press says Rajoy must act on economic crisis
- Published
The centre-right Popular Party has been out of power since 2004
Several Spanish papers urge the leader of the centre-right Popular Party (PP) Mariano Rajoy to waste no time in tackling the country's economic crisis.
One paper praises the "maturity" of Spaniards in voting for the party that "sugar-coated the pill" the least.
Another points out that the electorate in Spain had a say in opting for austerity, unlike the voters of Italy and Greece.
Headline in El Mundo
The PP sweeps away the Socialist Party
Editorial in El Pais
The PP yesterday achieved a clear electoral victory, the largest in its history in the percentage of votes and the number of deputies. In turn the PSOE [Socialist Party] achieved its worst result since democracy was restored.
Report in ABC
Over 44 per cent of Spaniards back Rajoy… confident that a change of ruling party would provide a way out of the crisis. Spain will be a country which has voted - unlike Greece and Italy, where the government was not chosen by the citizens.
Editorial in La Razon
Hard and difficult times are on their way and, faced by them, the Spanish people have shown admirable democratic maturity by fully trusting the party which sugar-coated the pill least during the electoral campaign. While the Popular Party did not conceal the need for sacrifices, other groups, starting with the Socialist Party, fed the fear of cuts.
Editorial in ABC
The PP victory was a success for Mariano Rajoy who has seen his strategy of moderation and independence confirmed - but with it comes an unprecedented burden of responsibility.
Editorial in El Pais
A crisis which will not be resolved without sacrifices. Rajoy avoided specifying the sacrifices during the election campaign, stressing the benefits that would supposedly be brought by a simple change of leadership. The seriousness of the economic situation now demands that he abandon ambiguity, reveal his programme for government as soon as possible and announce the team that will carry it out.
Report in El Mundo
After the crushing victory… comes the hour of truth. That of governing with the firmness required by the moment. And to govern now. Extraordinary situations require extraordinary measures… The future prime minister must come out of his den and tell the Spaniards who gave him a majority that this is the situation, this is what we are going to do and these are the people who are going to do it. We cannot waste time we do not have.
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