The 'great political debate' descends into mutual insults

Sánchez: “Spain needs a decent president, and you're not;” Rajoy: “Your comments are mean and despicable”

DESPITE all good intentions, the long-awaited 'cordial debate' between Spain's president Mariano Rajoy (PP) and his direct rival Pedro Sánchez (PSOE) turned into a slanging match and widened the gulf between the two main 'establishment' parties even further just five days before the general elections.

TV viewers were already sceptical when they learnt the details of the discussion, in four main themed 'blocks' and with 50% of talk time scheduled for each party to ensure fairness and an equal say for both parties – as yet, the PP and PSOE have rarely managed to hold a conversation without raised voices and especially relating to thorny issues such as unemployment and corruption.

Sánchez told Rajoy that a president 'needs to be a decent person' and that Rajoy 'was not one'.

Rajoy told Sánchez his remark was 'mean and contemptible' when Sánchez accused him of 'not being honest'.

“I don't regret a word,” Sánchez said afterwards. “I only said what millions of Spaniards are already thinking.”

 

Corruption debate turns verbally violent

The worst of the mud-slinging in the most confrontational political debate in Spain's TV history came up in 'block three' of the discussion, which started off with references to a possible reform of the country's Constitution – a document which changed the face of society for the better in the mid-1970s, but of which not a word has been altered in 40 years despite the entire nature of Spain and its people having radically altered in this time.

From the Constitution, talks swiftly moved onto corruption, which has peppered the PP since they got into power in 2011.

Rajoy has always maintained he is totally against any form of institutional dishonesty, but that the apparent increase in cases affecting the PP is only due to its having become more newsworthy of late, adding that no other party is immune.

Sánchez started the debate by referring to the ongoing 'Gürtel case', involving bribes, back-handers, illegal commissions and queue-jumping companies hand-picked for lucrative public works contracts – according to the accusations, at least, which have not yet been proven.

Former PP treasurer Luis Bárcenas is one of the main suspects in the case, and Rajoy caused a media stir when it transpired he sent a text message to the recently-arrested Bárcenas saying, “Luis, stay strong.”

Sánchez, after alluding firmly to this incident – over which he says Rajoy should have resigned – added that the president's then second-in-command, María Dolores de Cospedal, 'lied' about Bárcenas' resignation and 'allowed his computer to be smashed up with a hammer'.

In practice, the hard drive was wiped, which the PP said was normal procedure when an employee of any firm leaves.

The PP's headquarters in Madrid was 'renovated using illegal cash in hand', Sánchez pointed out, and said Rajoy had 'gone on holiday in 2004, paid for by Correa', the businessman suspected to be at the centre of the Gürtel case.

“If the people of Spain decide to vote for you, leader of the PP, to remain in the Moncloa [Spain's answer to the White House or 10 Downing Street], it will be at great cost to Spanish democracy and institutions – because a government president needs to be a decent person, and you are not one,” Sánchez stormed.

He even used the formal usted rather than tú as the second-person pronoun to address the president.

“I'm not going to allow those comments – you might lose the elections and get over your defeat, but those words you have just said will stay with you and follow you for the rest of your life,” Rajoy responded.

“You can never recover from the mean, despicable and spiteful comments you have made here today.

“And if you've got anything you want to say against me, do it in court.

“My political history is totally clean – at least, no less clean than yours – and I've never been called to appear in court since I was a regional minister in Galicia [Rajoy's native region], nor have I been accused of stealing anything. I'm an honorable politician,” the president concluded.

Even wages of both parties came under fire in the debate – Sánchez reveals he earns €88,000 before tax as opposition leader, compared with Rajoy's €240,000 as PP head before the party came into power.

Sánchez said a large chunk of this was 'paid cash in hand' and 'under the radar' through corrupt dealings.

“I'm not in politics to earn money, sorry about that,” said a miffed Rajoy in response.

“I've never received any cash-in-hand wage top-ups. I'm an honorable politician and, if you really despair of the situation, please use different arguments. I'm not accepting this.”

Sánchez responded: “I'm very sorry about that, but you simply have to hear it, because it's what the majority of Spaniards think.”

Rajoy, whom Sánchez described later as 'very nervous' in light of his accusations, tried on several occasions to stop the debate and move on.

Sánchez persisted, asking him if Bárcenas 'had refunded the €40 million stashed in Swiss