Spanish Socialist Sanchez succeeds Rajoy as PM
Socialist Pedro Sanchez took over as Spain’s prime minister on Friday, after outgoing leader Mariano Rajoy lost a parliamentary confidence vote triggered by a long-running corruption trial involving members of his center-right party.
Socialist party head Sanchez becomes Spain’s seventh prime minister since its return to democracy in the late 1970s following the dictatorship of Francisco Franco.
But Rajoy’s departure after six years in office casts one of the European Union’s top four economies into an uncertain political landscape, just as another – Italy – pulled back from early elections.
Sanchez won Friday’s no-confidence motion with 180 votes in favor, 169 against and 1 abstention.
The prime minister-elect vowed to address the “social urgencies” of Spaniards after years of austerity under the conservative government of Rajoy.
Sanchez ousted Rajoy on Friday by narrowly winning a no-confidence vote in parliament following corruption convictions linked to the outgoing leader’s Popular Party.
Sanchez told reporters in Madrid that he was “aware of the responsibility and the complex political moment of our country.”
He vowed to build consensus among political parties to “transform and modernize” Spain and “address the social urgencies of many people who suffer precariousness and inequality.”
Sanchez’s appointment needs to be published in Spain’s official gazette before he can be sworn in by King Felipe VI over the coming days.
Spain’s center-right Ciudadanos (Citizens) party vowed fierce opposition to the incoming minority Socialist government, urging Sanchez to call an early general election.
Ciudadanos leader Albert Rivera said the change of government “is not good news for Spain.”
Referring to Rajoy’s outgoing government, Rivera told reporters on Friday that “we had to censure this government, but not in this way.”
With most Spanish parties and Sanchez himself being pro-european, investors however see less broader political risk there than in Italy. Rajoy had conceded defeat prior to the no-confidence vote, earlier telling deputies: “Sanchez will be the head of the government and let me be the first to congratulate him.”
Rajoy’s position had become increasingly