There are mounting concerns that Spain may have to hold yet another general election should socialist Pedro Sanchez, who won the most votes in the recent election but needs to create a coalition to form a government, fail to establish a majority. However, despite having been more or less told to shut up and sit down by President Trump at the G20 summit - the Spanish press were outraged yesterday, although many claimed that Trump pointed to Sanchez’s seat commenting he "had a good spot" (yeah right) - the acting PM is throwing his weight around Europe.
Sanchez yesterday called for a political change at the presidency of the European Commission, a post held by a conservative, a day before a meeting of EU leaders to decide on the bloc’s top jobs. In a televised news conference at the G20 summit in Osaka, Sanchez, who is one of the leading socialist negotiators on deciding the EU jobs, said that Spain will work to try to obtain one of the top positions within the European executive. As the leader of the largest group in the left-wing block in Europe, Sanchez wants Spain, or perhaps himself, to be at the top table of the new EU set-up.
I can understand his stance. He has already made it clear that Spain wants to fill the void which is going to be left by the UK at some point once it leaves the EU. But the trouble is he is still only acting prime minister, so is not really in a position to start making bold demands. He should be concentrating more on issues closer to home.