New poll shows Rajoy came out on top in state of the nation debate

Spanish citizens are of the opinion that Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy scored a palpable victory over opposition Socialist leader Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba in the state of the nation debate in Congress on Tuesday, according to a poll conducted by the Center for Sociological Studies.

Of the 1,600 people quizzed immediately after the verbal jousting between the political leaders, 29.9 percent handed Rajoy the triumph while 14.2 percent opined Rubalcaba had got the better of his opponent. Among the other parties participating United Left leader Cayo Lara came out on top, with 2.8 percent of people saying he had shone in the exchanges. Rosa Díez, of the centrist UPyD grouping, gained 1.8 percent of the vote.

However, 36.2 percent of respondents said none of the participants had landed a decisive blow.

Rajoy’s advantage over Rubalcaba stood at 14.7 percentage points in the latest poll, compared to 26.9 percent after last year’s debate.