Dec
17
Spain’s prime minister was punched in the face by a selfie-seeking teen during a campaign stop on Wednesday, leaving the politician bruised. The 17-year-old boy reportedly has radical ties.
Mariano Rajoy was visiting Pontevedra in Spain’s Galicia region and was talking to people in a crowd when he was hit by the teenager, said the BBC News. The punch was caught on video.
“The teenager bypassed (Rajoy’s) security guards by saying that he wanted to take a selfie with him and footage shows him standing beside the politician, posing for photographers,” said The Daily Mail.
“But footage then shows the teenager launch his left fist at Rajoy, striking him in the face and sending his glasses crashing to the floor. He also hit a security guard when he was arrested at the scene and was pictured giving the thumbs-up and smiling as he was led away by police.”
Rajoy posted on Twitter that he was continuing with his schedule.
“I am fine, on my way to a rally in La Coruna. Let’s carry on constructing a serious Spain,” said the Twitter message.
Local reports said the teenager was connected to radical independent groups but the cause of the attack was not clear.
Spain’s tumultuous elections conclude Sunday with the country’s two traditional two-party system being challenged by two new parties, said MarketWatch.com. The new parties are the far left Podemos, an ally of Greece’s Syriza party, and the centrist Ciudadanos, or ‘Citizens’ party.
The prime minister’s Popular Party has the clear advantage in polls, with support hovering about 27 percent. Support for the other parties has ranged from 21 percent to 18 percent.
“There is little doubt that what investors crave above all is political stability,” said MaketWatch.com’s Simon Nixon. “Rajoy may be an uninspiring politician and critics say he squandered a golden opportunity when blessed with a large majority to deliver root and branch pro-market reform to Spain’s social model and public administration.”
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