Spain's parliament dispatched conservative Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and his government with a no-confidence vote on Friday, setting up Socialist Party leader Pedro Sanchez to form a new government as soon as the king swears him in, possibly on Saturday. Rajoy had been prime minister for six years and his term was supposed to last until 2020, but corruption scandals in his Popular Party eroded his support. The final straw came last week when the High Court in Madrid identified his party as beneficiary of a kickback-for-contracts scheme and sent former party treasurer Luis Bárcenas to jail for 33 years.
Rajoy, 63, is the first Spanish prime minister booted from power by parliament since Spain returned to democracy in the the late 1970s. Sanchez, a 46-year-old economist, will become Spain's seventh prime minister in that time. He may have a hard time forming a government, however, since his party has less than a quarter of the seats in parliament. Sanchez won support from leftist and separatist parties to oust Rajoy, but it's not guaranteed that those parties will support his government. Sanchez's Socialist party is a staunch defender of the European Union and the euro currency.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
James Birch shares his favourite booksThe Week Recommends The curator and art dealer picks works by Mikhail Lermontov, Negley Farson and others
-
Iconic: a 'compact but brilliant' exhibitionThe Week Recommends 'Charismatic' show explores how artists are inspired by photography
-
The week's best photosIn Pictures A bakery in ruins, a llama race, and more
-
Trump orders ban on trans female athletesspeed read The order directs the federal government to withhold funding from schools that do not comply
-
Musk's DOGE gains access to Medicare, eyes FAAspeed read The billionaire said his Department of Government Efficiency will make 'rapid safety upgrades' to our air traffic control systems
-
Trump: US 'will take over' Gaza, without PalestiniansSpeed Read President Trump has suggested the US take ownership of Gaza, permanently displacing more than two million Palestinian residents
-
Democrats try to stop Trump's USAID closureSpeed Read Trump and Elon Musk are attempting to dismantle the US Agency for International Development, a move congressional Democrats say is illegal
-
Trump tariffs on Canada, Mexico, China rattle marketsSpeed read The tariffs on America's top three trading partners are expected to raise the prices of everything from gas and cars to tomatoes and tequila
-
Elon Musk operatives access US payment system, aidSpeed Read The Trump administration has given Musk's team access to the Treasury payment system, allowing him to track and control government spending
-
Trump says 25% tariffs on Canada, Mexico start Feb. 1Speed Read The tariffs imposed on America's neighbors could drive up US prices and invite retaliation
-
Trump blames diversity, Democrats for DC air tragedySpeed Read The president suggested that efforts to recruit more diverse air traffic controllers contributed to the deadly air crash
