Andalusian parliament votes against Susana Díaz investiture for third time

For the third time in nine days, the entire opposition in the Andalusian parliament has voted against the investiture of Socialist politician Susana Díaz as regional premier.

The no votes came from the conservative Popular Party (33), the anti-austerity group Podemos (15), newcomer Ciudadanos (nine) and the United Left coalition (five), which until recently had been a partner in government with the Socialists.

If Díaz does not garner sufficient support by July 5, new elections will be called in Andalusia

In a session that lasted no more than 13 minutes, Díaz’s only support came from her own party (47), which has ruled the southern region for the last three decades.

Díaz had been hoping to at least secure some abstentions, if not outright support, in order to achieve a simple majority.

The speaker of the house, Juan Pablo Durán, has not set a date yet for a new session. The Socialists feel that if no deal is reached, the legislature should meet again after the municipal and regional elections of May 24.

If Díaz does not garner sufficient support by July 5, new elections will be called in Andalusia – which held an early vote on March 22 after the ruling coalition of Socialists and IU broke down.

So far, talks between the groups have stalled. Podemos, Ciudadanos and IU say that the ruling Socialists have failed to accept any of their conditions, which include anti-corruption measures, while the PP says its vote is conditioned by a new inquiry into the reopening of the Aznalcóllar mine, which created a major environmental disaster in 1998 when a toxic waste reservoir burst around the nature preserve of Doñana National Park.

The ruling Socialists have also been hampered in recent months by the ERE case, involving the misallocation of millions of euros in funds meant to help struggling companies deal with their labor adjustments. Two former regional premiers have been ensnared by the scandal.