MADRID Spain's Socialist acting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and the leader of far-left Unidas Podemos, Pablo Iglesias, signed a preliminary agreement on Tuesday aiming to form what they called a \"progressive\" coalition government.<\/p>\n
They will need more parties to join them to have a majority in parliament. <\/p>\n
Following are the key points of the deal:<\/p>\n
* Make Spain a point of reference in social rights in Europe; defend freedom, tolerance and respect democratic values<\/p>\n
* Consolidate economic growth and job creation, combat precarious labour conditions <\/p>\n
* Fiscal justice and budget balance. Spending controls are essential for solid and lasting wellbeing of the state<\/p>\n
* Guarantee coexistence in Catalonia and normalise political life there after a secession crisis by promoting dialogue and seeking understanding, always based on the Spanish Constitution<\/p>\n
* Strengthen autonomy of the regions, guaranteeing equality for all Spaniards<\/p>\n
* Fight corruption <\/p>\n
* Protect public services, especially in education and healthcare<\/p>\n
* Ensure the sustainability of the pension system and pension adjustments to the cost of living <\/p>\n
* Housing as a right and not a commodity <\/p>\n
* Fight climate change<\/p>\n
* Strengthen small and medium-sized companies, make a push for reindustrialisation<\/p>\n
* Ensure the right to dignified death, euthanasia<\/p>\n
* Safeguard diversity, fight male chauvinist violence, promote gender equality.<\/p>\n
(Reporting by Belen Carreno and Andrei Khalip)<\/p>\n
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Factbox: Key Points of Spanish Pact for Leftist Government - The New York Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" MADRID Spain's Socialist acting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and the leader of far-left Unidas Podemos, Pablo Iglesias, signed a preliminary agreement on Tuesday aiming to form what they called a \"progressive\" coalition government. They will need more parties to join them to have a majority in parliament Continue reading