PP and far-right Vox agree on coalition government in Castilla y Leon
Carlos Pollan, from Vox, will chair the regional Parliament
The Spanish right-wing People's Party (PP) and the right-wing populist Vox reached a last-minute agreement on Thursday to form a coalition government in the Castilla y Leon region (central Spain).
The PP headed by Alfonso Fernández Manueco, which was the party with the most votes in the elections held on 13 February and won 31 seats, needed the support of at least 10 more procuradores (regional MPs) in order to gather a stable majority.
The right-wing populist Vox party, which won 13 seats and 17.6% of the vote, has provided that support in exchange for entering government and chairing the regional parliament, according to El Mundo newspaper.
The agreement was announced via Twitter by PP's regional boss Fernandez Manueco, shortly before the constitution of the new parliament of Castilla y Leon.
"We have reached a legislature agreement with Vox on the basis of a program at the service of the people of Castilla y León and that allows a stable and solid government with full respect for the constitutional order and the Statute of Autonomy of Castilla y Leon," Manueco wrote in the social network.
3 ministries for Vox
According to El Mundo, the new regional government will have 10 ministries (of which the PP will hold 7 and Vox 3) and a vice-presidency without a portfolio that will be held by Juan García-Gallardo, the leader of Vox in the largest Spanish region.
Carlos Pollan, also from Vox, will chair the regional Parliament.