ACTING prime minister Mariano Rajoy’s attempts to present a positive image of his party, the Partido Popular, ahead of regional elections in Galicia and the Basque country this weekend suffered a blow when former Valencia mayor Rita Barberá was linked to money-laundering.
The situation did not improve last week when Sra Barberá dropped her membership in the party, but refused to step down from her position as a senator in the upper house of parliament, a position which she has held since July 2015 and which guarantees her partial immunity from prosecution.
