New PM and government
Socialists take over after vote of no-confidence axes PP PM
A WEEK after a vote of no-confidence ousted PP leader Mariano Rajoy from Moncloa Palace, new PM Pedro Sanchez´ will today (Friday) preside over the first new Socialist Cabinet meeting.
The official list of Cabinet members was not released by Sr Sánchez until Wednesday afternoon in an official briefing with King Felipe VI. There are 11 women and six men who were sworn-in at Zarzuela Palace yesterday (Thursday).
The former culture minister under the last socialist PM José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero,
Carmen Calvo, is the new deputy-PM and also minister for equality (a ministry dismantled by the PP and new restored by the PSOE).
Party spokesman and the man who opened the vote of noconfidence debate, Jose´ Luis
Abalos has been appointed minister for public works. Sr Ábalos is Valencian, born in Torrent and is considered one of the party's 'plumbers'.
Another top Cabinet office, foreign affairs, has gone to
Josep Borrell. Sr Borrell is also a former minister (home office under Zapatero) and has recently led demonstrations in Barcelona against independence. It goes without saying the Catalan nationalists have shunned his appointment.
The tax office ministry that has been in the hands of Cristóbal Montoro under the PP will now be handled by María Jesús
Montero - until this week regional tax office councillor for Andalucía. This appointment is seen as a gesture towards the
powerful Andalucía PSOE wing led by regional president Susana Díaz.
Nadia Calviño, a liberal and firm EU-supporter, who has been working in EU Commission posts for the past 12 years (until this week she was general director of the EU budget office) has been appointed new economy minister.
Judge Fernando Grande
Marlaska is considered one of Sr Sánchez's star appointments. Until now Grande-Marlaska was member of the General Judicial Power Council (CGPJ). He took over the investigation of Batasuna from Judge Baltasar Garzón and is a well-known gayrights activist. Catalan socialist Meritxell
Batet has been placed in charge of the ministry of territorial administration (which handles relationships with each region and will have a key role with the current Catalan independency crisis and the demands to be expected by Basque nationalists in exchange for the vote of no-confidence support).
For the health ministry, Pedro Sánchez has appointed Valencia regional health councillor Carmen Montón - a move that will force Ximo Puig to reshuffle his regional cabinet.
Teresa Ribera is in charge of the ministry of energy, environment and climate change.
And Margarita Robles, who has been the visible leader of the PSOE party in Parliament until now as Pedro Sánchez resigned as MP two years ago, will be in charge of defence.
Adriana Lastra will be the new PSOE spokeswoman in Par- liament replacing Margarita Robles. Pensions expert Magdalena
Valero, who used to be regional councillor in Castilla-La Mancha, has taken over the ministry of employment.
Another budgetting expert,
Reyes Maroto is the new minister for industry.
The ministry of education will be run by Basque PSOE member Isabel Celaá, who was Basque regional education councillor from 2009 to 2012.
Minister Celaá will also be the government spokeswoman. Public prosecutor Dolores
Delgado, who has worked in the national High Court for most of her career, has taken over the ministry of justice.
Luis Planas, current member of the European Social and Economic Committee, who becomes new agriculture and fisheries minister. An astronaut in the Cabinet One of the most surprising appointments is the new arrival at the renamed ministry of science, innovation and universities). Spain's only astronaut,
Pedro Duque, will be the minister for this department. The 55-year-old aeronautical engineer has been to space twice and was preparing a third trip with the European Space Agency.
During the PP government, Sr Duque was very critical over the cut-backs in development funds.
Even more surprising was the appointment of Valencian writer and well-know TV chat show comentator Máxim
Huerta as minister for culture and sport. Although he has written several best-sellers, he has little experience in the political field say critics.
Catalan nationalists have already demanded his resignation due to several controversial 'Tweeter' messages criticising the independency process. A prolific social media personality, Máxim Huerta has openly said he ' hates sport' (although he is now in charge of it) and said he 'liked Rajoy'.
The unexpected outcome of the vote of no-confidence
As reported by Costa Blanca News last week, Sr Sánchez's vote of no confidence had placed the PP government on the brink and the decisive votes from the PNV Basque Nationalists supporting the PSOE initiative gave Mariano Rajoy's government the coupe de grâce.
As the PP government has granted extra funds for the Basque region to ensure its support in the previous week's Budget approval, many anaylists believed the PNV would not betray Sr Rajoy - but they were proven wrong.
In the end, the proposal presented by the PSOE party obtained the support of 180 of the 350 MPs in Parliament.
The vote was favoured by PSOE, Unidos Podemos and nationalist parties from Cataluña (PdeCat and ERC) and the Basque Country (Bildu and PNV).
Only PP and centrist Ciudadanos voted against.
Amid cheers of ' Si se puede' (Yes it can be done) from the Podemos seats, Pedro Sánchez was named new PM and Sr Rajoy was among the first to shake his hand recognising defeat.
Parliament Speaker Ana Pastor immediately notified King Felipe VI and Pedro Sánchez was sworn-in as new PM at the Zarzuela Palace on Saturday morning.
For the first time in modern Spanish democracy, the PM did not do so in front of a cross or a bible - only a copy of the Spanish constitution.
On Monday, Sr Sánchez moved to the official PM’s residence, La Moncloa and the first names of members of his new government were released.
Rajoy quits as PP leader
On Tuesday following a PP party leaders meeting at its headquarters on Calle Génova in Madrid, Mariano Rajoy announced his resignation as PP party leader.
He stated: “It’s the best thing for me, the party and Spain.”
The battle to lead the PP is now open with main candidates being Galicia president Alberto Nuñez Feijóo, party secretary general María Dolores de Cospedal and former deputy-PM Soraya Sáez de Santamaría.
Sáez de Santamaría became the face of the ousted PP government during the vote of no-confidence debate last Thursday afternoon and on Friday morning.
Sr Rajoy left the building as soon as he finished his speech having received the news that the PNV were to back the Socialists.
He spent his final hours as PM in a restaurant and did not turn up on Friday until a few minutes before the voting took place.
Effects
Sr Sánchez's announcment that he would respect the budget approved two weeks ago appears to have calmed the markets.
Stock exchange indexes have been rising since Friday and the interest rate risk index has dropped after rocketing last week mainly due to the Italian political crisis.
Juggling the interests of the nationalists plus the farleft demands of Podemos could prove an almost impossible task for the new PSOE government.
Although sources close to Pedro Sanchez´ claim he will take the government to the end of the polticial term (general elections scheduled for 2020) - many believe his 80 MPs will find it too difficult to pass effective legislation and the ballot date could be brought forward.
However, under Spanish law, two nationwide elections cannot be held within six months of each other.
With the local and regional elections (coinciding with EU elections) set for spring next year, if general elections are not called before September this year, they cannot take place until September 2019.
Summer is therefore expected to be a real trial of fire for the new government with the political heat rising in accordance with the temperatures.