Economy and corruption takes a bronco electoral debate between Rajoy and Sanchez

USPA NEWS - The only debate between the Spanish Prime Minister and conservative candidate, Mariano Rajoy, and the socialist candidate, Pedro Sanchez, in the electoral campaign for the legislative elections next Sunday in Spain, focused on the economy, corruption and insults.

In Spain it is traditional, since 1993, the candidate of the ruling party and the opposition party first meet in a debate organized by the Academy of Television and broadcast by the major chains in the country. For the Spanish Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy, on Monday was the fourth debate; for the Socialist Party candidate, Pedro Sanchez, was the first and perhaps the last for his continuity at the head of the party will depend largely on the result obtained in legislative elections next Sunday.

The polls give the two major parties the worst results since the restoration of democracy, but predict a victory of the conservative Popular Party, followed by the Socialist Party. Third place the populist Podemos and, fourth, the centrist Citizens. Perhaps that is why the Socialist candidate adopted a belligerent attitude, critical and aggressive against his conservative opponent, and dialectical confrontation climaxed when Pedro Sanchez accused Mariano Rajoy of not being "decent" for not having resigned as a result of corruption in his party.

Corruption occupies much of the debate between the two candidates. "You should have resigned when you said that everything was false," Pedro Sanchez protested the Prime Minister and conservative candidate. "If you continues to be Prime Minister, the cost will be enormous for our democracy," he added, "because to be Prime Minister must be decent and you are not." The indictment of the socialist candidate provoked an angry response from Mariano Rajoy: "You have been ruin, petty and miserable", accused to the socialist, who abounded in his criticism: "This is about you and me," said Pedro Sanchez. "I am a clean politician" and "you should have taken the political responsability" of corruption.

The socialist candidate began listing the four challenges which aims to tackle if elected: the lack of opportunities, the fight against inequality, lack of trust in institutions and the consolidation of convivency. Rajoy also listed four priorities: combating unemployment, higher pensions, the fight against terrorism and the defense of the unity of Spain. And above all, employment: create two million jobs that there are 20 million Spanish working. "It can be done," Rajoy said.

"Economic imbalances are over," added the Prime Minister, who also defended the bank bailouts because "if we fail banks, who have paid deposits of all banks had to be nationalized?" he asked. Rajoy announced that "we will continue with the reform policies," while Pedro Sanchez claimed that "to reduce debt, the first thing to do is to control the deficit."

America and Europe

The Catalan independence challenge also appeared in the debate between the two leading candidates. "You say you are going to ensure the unity of Spain. With you and me as well," said the Socialist candidate, Pedro Sanchez, who nevertheless insisted that "the immobility and rupture are not the solution. The road is constitutional reform." A reform that Mariano Rajoy not refused, but warned the Catalan that "I am not prepared to hold a referendum" on independence. "We are a great country; We have our problems and our difficulties, but we can not be all the time saying how bad we are," the Prime Minister complained.

"In recent years we have lost weight and voice on the international scene", Pedro Sanchez criticized and accused Rajoy dehaber followed "the line of the toughest European governments" in relation to the refugee crisis. "We have missed a constructive monetary policy," he said later. Meanwhile, Rajoy said that "in the future we must talk about monetary union, an European guarantee fund deposits" and Euro-Atlantic connections, which he called "capital for the economic interests of Spain".

And after the debate, valuations: disappointment in the Spanish media, which criticize the lack of program of the Socialist candidate, Pedro Sanchez, and the missed opportunity by both parties to strengthen the role of the two major parties against the push from emerging. The publishers of the main newspapers highlighted on Tuesday the harassment of the Socialist secretary general to Mariano Rajoy, who was able to get nervous, but most highlight the victory of Prime Minister and Conservative candidate, who offered more and better arguments than their opponent. And there are those who think that the real winners were absent Citizens' and Podemos, at the missed opportunity by the protagonists of bipartisanship.