Dec
17
Sporting a bruise that stretched the length of the left-hand side of his face, the Spanish Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy, said today that nobody should draw political conclusions from the fact that at an election rally he was punched by a man in the crowd.
What it is clear is that somebody does not like the 60 year-old premier, who, in Sunday’s general election, is likely to lose his parliamentary majority. The attack – which comprised an accomplished left hook and took place in the town of Pontevedra on Wednesday night – was delivered by a 17-year-old. He was initially identified as an activist for the rival Podemos party, although this was denied by local officials. Then in a twist last night, the La Voz De Galicia newspaper claimed the assailant was, in fact, a relative of Mr Rajoy: a cousin of his wife, Elvira Fernández Balboa.
Mr Rajoy tried to paint a picture of normality, saying, “I am holding on to the positive.” Quite what positive he can draw is not clear, but he did give an update of his injury to breakfast television. “My cheekbone is a bit swollen. The doctor gave me a cream and a painkiller,” he said.
Despite asking voters not to equate the attack with the election, they inevitably will. Mr Rajoy’s centre-right PP has governed Spain since 2011. Unemployment is stubbornly still above 20 per cent – higher among younger people – and many of those in work are stuck on temporary contracts.
World news in pictures
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18 December 2015Indian sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik gives the final touches to his sand sculpture of Mother Teresa at steel city Rourkela in Sundargarh district, in the north-west tip of Orissa state. Pope Francis has recognised a second miracle attributed to the late Mother Teresa, clearing the path for the nun to be elevated to sainthood next year, the Vatican said
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17 December 2015A Haitian journalist covering demonstrators marching to the Ballot Tabulation Center in Sonapi, to protest against the Provisional Electoral Council, the election results and also to request an independent commission to review the election outcome, is overcome by tear gas fired by police in Port-au-Prince
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16 December 2015Bangladeshi children attend a rally during the Victory Day celebrations in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Bangladesh marks its 44th Victory Day across the country remembering the country’s war heroes. Bangladesh became a free nation on 16 December 1971 after a nine-month bloody war with Pakistan
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16 December 2015Filipino children rest next to damaged houses in the typhoon-hit town of Magallanes, Sorsogon province, southern Manila, Philippines. At least four people were killed and hundreds of thousands were displaced as a powerful typhoon pummelled the Philippines for the second day, officials said. Typhoon Melor also toppled trees and electric posts, totally and partially destroyed houses, as well as rice paddies submerged in waters, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC). Thousands of air and sea passengers were stranded in different ports and airports as 64 domestic flights were cancelled while hundreds of ships stopped from sailing due to bad weather
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16 December 2015Soldiers of China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) jump as part of their winter training in temperature of negative 26 degrees Celsius at China’s border with Russia in Heihe, Heilongjiang province, China
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15 December 2015A villager walks outside her house as Mount Bromo spews volcanic materials into the air, in Probolinggo, East Java, Indonesia. Indonesian authorities have raised the alert level of the volcano to the second highest as its activity increased earlier this month
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15 December 2015Labourers pull a pontoon to construct a temporary bridge for the Magh Mela festival on the river Ganges in Allahabad, India. The festival is an annual religious event held during the Hindu month of Magh, when thousands of Hindu devotees take a holy dip in the waters of the Ganges
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14 December 2015Shiite fighters, known as Houthis, ride on a patrol truck as they chant slogans during a tribal gathering showing support for the Houthi movement in Sanaa, Yemen
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13 December 2015Indonesian students wearing paper masks take part in the East Java Mask Parade in Surabaya, Indonesia. Thousands of people participate in the traditional parade to preserve the mask custom among the younger generation
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12 December 2015Protesters burn a Turkish national flag during a demonstration against the Turkish military deployment in Iraq, at Tahrir Square in central Baghdad, Iraq
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12 December 2015Starlings migrating from northern Europe fly in the sky above Rome. About one-million starlings migrate in Rome during autumn and winter time and draw beautiful patterns in the sky before spending the nights in the trees by the Tiber river, creating chaos in the neighborhood with their droppings
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11 December 2015TPeople ride bicycles during a mass cycle event to honour King Bhumibol Adulyadej in Narathiwat, southern Thailand. Thailand’s crown prince Maha Vajiralongkorn led the symbolic ‘Bike for Dad’ event in Bangkok as people rode bicycles nationwide as part of celebrations of his father’s 88th birthday and to highlight his role as heir apparent amid increasing anxiety over his dad’s health
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10 December 2015A member of the ruling party United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) smiles as she looks on before the opening ceremony of the party’s annual congress in Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia’s Prime Minister Najib Razak was to address the annual meeting of his ruling United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), as he seeks to rally support amid a political funding scandal that has triggered calls for him to step down
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9 December 2015A general view of a shelter for migrants inside a hangar of the former Tempelhof airport in Berlin, Germany
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9 December 2015An Indian Sikh devotee takes a dip in the holy sarover (water tank) during dense fog at the Golden Temple in Amritsar
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8 December 2015Gyaltsen Norbu, the 11th Panchen Lama, arrives at a Buddhism gathering at the Tashilhunpo Monastery in Shigatse, Tibet Autonomous Region, China
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8 December 2015The sanctuary of the Basilica of the Fallen Lord of Montserrate is seen illuminated for Christmas in Bogota. The basilica, a pilgrim destination and tourist attraction, is located on Montserrate, one of highest hills of the city
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8 December 2015A firefighter climbs the fire ladder to place a wreath at the statue of the Immaculate Conception in Rome. Every year firefighters honour the feast of the Immaculate Conception by laying a wreath at the statue on top of the Spanish Steps in Rome
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6 December 2015People make the “Pray for Paris” sign along with the slogan “100 percent renewable” in Paris, on the sidelines of the COP21 climate change conference
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6 December 2015A Palestinian woman supporting Hamas shouts slogans during a rally in Gaza City, in support of Palestinian stabbing attacks against Israelis
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4 December 2015A lenticular cloud forming as white streaks from airplanes mark the blue sky, in a rare atmospheric phenomena above the town of Gevgelija, Macedonia. Lenticular clouds have been regularly confused for UFOs throughout history due to the their smooth, round or oval lens-shaped structure
Growth has returned, however, and Spain is among the fastest-growing economies in Europe. Mr Rajoy did not retaliate to the punch. If he wins a majority on Sunday, however, it will be he who is seen to come out fighting.
- More about:
- Mariano Rajoy
- Spain
- Spanish politics
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