Spain's King Juan Carlos on Friday put forward conservative leader Mariano Rajoy as the country's next prime minister, dpa reported. The 56-year-old leader of the People's Party (PP) had sufficient support to form the next government, the king told newly elected parliament president Jesus Posada after consulting the parliamentary parties. Rajoy only needed the backing of his own party, which took an absolute majority in the November 20 elections, ousting outgoing Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero's Socialists. The parliamentary session to appoint Rajoy prime minister was scheduled to take place on Monday and Tuesday. The new government was expected to be in place before Christmas. Rajoy has been accused of not outlining his economic plans quickly enough, while markets are nervous about Spain's ability to stabilize its economy. He has stressed Spain's commitment to cutting its budget deficit to 4.4 per cent in 2012 from 9.2 per cent in 2010, as has been agreed with the European Union, without giving details. -- SPA
