BALEARIC GOVERNMENT IN CRISIS

THE coalition Balearic government is facing its biggest crisis to date: Following is a question and answer breakdown of what has happened to date.
What has caused this crisis?
Relations between the various parties which make-up the coalition government have never been great but things came to a head when corruption allegations were made against two Balearic ministers, tourism minister Miguel Nadal (who resigned on Thursday) and Environment Minister Miguel Angel Grimalt, both of the Majorcan Unionist Party. The left-wing grouping of parties, The Bloc, (which also forms part of the coalition) said that they refuse to serve in an administration which has been tarnished by fraud allegations.

So what can Balearic President Francesc Antich do?
Well, he has limited options. The centre-right opposition Partido Popular has said that they are willing to side with Antich´s socialist party so that key legislation can be passed but only if he ejects the Bloc and the Majorcan Unionists. This would leave Antich with a minority government which would have to rely heavily on the Partido Popular. The Bloc has said that they are willing to continue with the coalition but want certain members of the Majorcan Unionist to be ejected while the Unionists have said that they are prepared to continue with the pact. So it is a nightmare scenario for Antich.

What are his options?
Well Antich can try and patch-up the coalition government which he formed two years ago, eject the other parties and form a minority government or call early elections.