Spain's Rajoy stays away as candidates hold election debate

Two screens are seen in this photo illustration showing three of the main candidates for Spain's national election at a live debate hosted by Spanish newspaper El Pais (L) and Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy (R), who declined to attend that debate, at a simultaneous live interview at Telecinco TV in Madrid, Spain, November 30, 2015. The three main candidates are (L-R) Ciudadanos party leader Albert Rivera, Socialist party (PSOE) leader Pedro Sanchez and Podemos (We Can) party leader Pablo Iglesias. REUTERS/Susana Vera

MADRID (Reuters) - Three of the candidates vying to become Spain's next prime minister clashed over the economy, corruption and Catalan independence in an election debate on Monday but a fourth, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, stayed away.

Rajoy, whose People's Party holds a narrow lead in polls for the Dec. 20 election, said he had been invited to take part in more than 30 debates and could not "spend all day in debates."