Spain's acting deputy prime minister, Carmen Calvo, has said that the way to avoid another general election is to form "a progressive government which doesn't have to be supported by the independence movement". She had tough love for Podemos, the party most likely to give them the votes they need to form a government, urging them to "take responsibility".
The PSOE leader, who this morning attended the ceremony as Javier Lambán became president of Aragon, told the media that with 123 seats her party has achieved "a great electoral victory". She said that they had tried during the whole of June to make Unidas Podemos "understand that what's important is the agenda, the objectives, the policies and after that the rest".
As for the right-wing parties, she said that "Spain" isn't an empty word to be invoked in rhetoric and that they also have a responsibility towards it. She said that "they cannot block the majority that has come out of the ballot boxes, which is a clear majority, not sufficient". She concluded that "they should smooth the path" to investing a government.
In any case, despite last month's failed attempts, Calvo remains optimistic and believes there is still time to reach an agreement before another election would be called automatically. She's convinced that Sánchez can return as prime minister, as long the different parties take their places and know whether "they're building or destroying".