MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Rajoy closer to forming a coalition; ally gets speaker's job defeating Socialists

Ana Pastor was elected in the first post-election session of parliament, gaining 169 votes, ahead of Socialist lawmaker Patxi Lopez, who got 155 votes.

Lawmakers on Tuesday picked a close ally of Mariano Rajoy as parliamentary speaker as Spain's acting prime minister cast around for coalition partners following last month's inconclusive general election. Public Works Minister Anta Pastor, 58, got the speaker's job under a deal between Rajoy's conservative Popular Party (PP) and market-friendly upstarts Ciudadanos, who came in fourth in the June 26 polls.

 She was elected in the first post-election session of parliament, gaining 169 votes, ahead of Socialist lawmaker Patxi Lopez, who got 155 votes. Her appointment marks a small step forward for Rajoy as it suggests other parties may be more willing to work with him since the repeat polls.

Ciudadanos had backed Lopez for the speaker position after a December 20 general election but switched their support this time around to the PP's candidate.

“I want to govern...and I want to be allowed to govern,” Rajoy told a news conference after Pastor was elected speaker. Rajoy has headed a caretaker government with limited powers since the December polls which resulted in a hung parliament. Parties failed to agree on a coalition, prompting the repeat vote on June 26.

His PP won 137 seats -- the most of any party and 14 more than in December but still not enough for an absolute majority in the 350-seat assembly.

To form a government the PP needs at least the abstention of either its long time Socialist opponents, who came second in the poll, or that of Ciudadanos and several smaller groups.

Ciudadanos leader Albert Rivera has already said his formation will abstain during a vote of confidence in parliament to allow the PP to form a government and he called on the Socialists to do the same.

“The PP and the Socialists cannot continue their cold war,” he told a news conference.

Pastor is seen as part of Rajoy's inner circle. She is a doctor from the north western region of Galicia where Rajoy also was born, served as health minister between 2002 and 2004 and has been public works minister since the PP was swept to power at the end of 2011.

Pastor will on Wednesday meet with King Felipe VI to hand him a list of the leaders of all the parties which won representation in parliament in the June election. The king will then held talks with party leaders before deciding which one should try to form a government.