Tags
"I have a very free schedule": Spain's embattled incumbent prime minister fell prey to a practical joke when an imitator pretending to be Catalonia's new separatist leader managed to speak to him on the phone on radio.
The improbably successful joke broadcast Thursday by a radio station in Spain's Catalonia region, where an independence movement is gathering pace, is another blow for Mariano Rajoy whose attempts to form a government following inconclusive elections have so far fallen flat.
A presenter at Radio Flaixbac called the Moncloa presidency in the Spanish capital pretending to be working for Carles Puigdemont, a separatist politician who was voted in as new Catalonia leader earlier this month to the fury of Madrid.
Transferred to Rajoy's secretary, she told him the prime minister was in a meeting but would soon be free.
Unable to believe his luck, a Puigdemont imitator at the radio station found himself on the phone minutes later with the prime minister, and a surprisingly cordial conversation began.
"How's life?" said Rajoy, before exchanging a pleasantry.
The fake Puigdemont then asked him if they could meet, which Rajoy agreed to readily, depending on how negotiations to form a government were going.
"I think I can call you on Monday and depending on where we are.. we will fix a date," he told the fake Puigdemont.
"I have a very free schedule and we could meet 24 or 48 hours after."
Unable to keep the imposture going any longer, the radio presenter intervened and told Rajoy that it was in fact an imitator on a radio station who was speaking to him.
"We didn't think we would pull this off... and we're probably as surprised as you are," he told the Spanish leader.
Clearly caught off guard, Rajoy responded that "this is not very serious."
The joke made waves in Spain on Thursday, sparking mostly good-natured reactions, including from within Rajoy's conservative Popular Party (PP).
Rafael Hernando -- spokesman for the PP's parliamentary group -- said it showed that Rajoy was willing to chat with a man who wants to lead Catalonia to independence from Spain, and with whom he is therefore at odds.
"I'm sure that Mr Rajoy would like Mr Puigdemont to call him for real," he told reporters.
There are no comments.
SPORT Saying goodbye is never easy, especially when you are saying farewell to those that have left a positive impression. That was the case earlier this month when Canada hosted Mexico in a friendly at BC Place stadium in Vancouver.
TECHNOLOGY Some 60mn primary-school-age children have no access to formal education
CULTURE Lekhwiya’s El Arabi scores the equaliser after Tresor is sent off; Tabata, al-Harazi score for QSL champions
ARABIA The Yemeni Minister of Tourism, Dr Mohamed Abdul Majid Qubati, yesterday expressed hope that the 48-hour ceasefire in Yemen declared by the Command of Coalition Forces on Saturday will be maintained in order to lift the siege imposed on Taz City and ease the entry of humanitarian aid to the besieged
ARABIA Some 200 teachers from schools across the country attended Qatar Museum’s (QM) first ever Teachers Council at the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) yesterday.
ARABIA The Supreme Judiciary Council (SJC) of Qatar and the Indonesian Supreme Court (SCI) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on judicial co-operation, it was announced yesterday.
ECONOMY Sri Lanka is keen on importing liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Qatar as part of government policy to shift to clean energy, Minister of City Planning and Water Supply Rauff Hakeem has said.
