From vetoing Rajoy to a conditional Yes: Rivera’s U-turn in 55 days

Ciudadanos leader Albert Rivera does an about-face after his public veto on PP leader Mariano Rajoy on June 16

Gerard Pruna
2 min
Albert Rivera durant la seva intervenció

BarcelonaIt seems ages since the Spanish election debate between the candidates of the four main parties to the polls of June 26 (PP, PSOE, Podemos and Ciudadanos). On the evening of June 13, amid the verbal confrontation, Albert Rivera brought about one of the most tense moments during the debate when he criticised Mariano Rajoy for all the corruption cases that surround the PP and he questioned Rajoy’s “moral authority” to remain at the helm of the Spanish government. This was a blow for the PP leader, who called Rivera “an officer of the Inquisition”. The chasm between both leaders was obvious, but it became definitive only three days later (on June 16, in Barcelona) when Rivera made his veto on Rajoy explicit: “We do not want him in office”, said the Ciudadanos leader.

Rivera’s words shattered his party’s strategy until then, and would later come back to haunt him. Still, Ciudadanos have never been shy about making a U-turn whenever it suited them. A party official claims that “people’s memory is short” and he remarks that being able to create the mental frame that justifies the swing is what truly matters. Ciudadanos’ opinions have swung non-stop since that day in Barcelona.

June 27: the first doubts

On June 27, only hours after Rajoy’s position was strengthened at the polls, Rivera began to have second thoughts. “There’s never been a veto on Rajoy”, he stated during a radio interview, only to clarify his own words a few hours later, when he assured that Ciudadanos would not lend Rajoy their votes in Parliament to guarantee his reelection.

July 13: ready to abstain

On July 12, after his first meeting with Rajoy —and before King Felipe began a round of talks with the Spanish party leaders—, Rivera insisted that Ciudadanos “will neither support this government nor help Rajoy to win a reelection vote”. Yet only the next day, on July 13, he held a board meeting of his party and announced that Ciudadanos would abstain in the second election vote, in an attempt to put pressure on the PSOE. Rivera stated that “this week’s decision will not change in one, two, three or four weeks”. He was wrong.

August 3: a meeting to smooth things over

Following another meeting with Rajoy on August 3, Rivera did not quite complete his U-turn, but began to pave the way for a Yes vote. After the meeting, Rivera claimed that his party’s MPs would merely abstain. However, he opened up a permanent channel for dialogue with the caretaker president of Spain and he agreed to negotiate an agreement for Spain’s unity, the 2017 budget and spending caps. Rajoy, who could feel his wish getting closer, left the meeting feeling “optimistic”.

August 9: six conditions for a yes

Once again, Rivera held an urgent meeting of his party’s executive board in an attempt to legitimise his about-face. Speaking in parliament that afternoon, the Ciudadanos leader set six conditions that Rajoy might find acceptable in exchange for Rivera’s support in parliament. He would meet Rajoy again only a day later. It was 55 days since Rivera had formally vetoed Rajoy. He had completed a full U-turn in that time.

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