Politics
17:16, 02-Jun-2018
Pedro Sanchez sworn in as new Spanish PM
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The leader of the Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE), Pedro Sanchez, was sworn in as Spain’s new prime minister by King Felipe VI at the Zarzuela Palace on Saturday.
Sanchez, 46, succeeds Mariano Rajoy who was voted out of office on Friday in a no-confidence motion that saw 180 votes in favor, 169 against and one abstention.
It is the first time a Spanish prime minister has come to power as the result of a no-confidence vote.
Spain's new Prime Minister and Socialist party (PSOE) leader Pedro Sanchez takes the oath of office in a ceremony at the Zarzuela Palace in Madrid, June 2, 2018. /Reuters Photo
Spain's new Prime Minister and Socialist party (PSOE) leader Pedro Sanchez takes the oath of office in a ceremony at the Zarzuela Palace in Madrid, June 2, 2018. /Reuters Photo
Sanchez takes office with a weak government given that the PSOE currently holds just 85 seats in the 350-member Spanish Congress.
That means he will have to reach an agreement with the left-wing Unidos Podemos party, which has 71 seats, and a variety of Basque and Catalan parties, among others, to pass legislation.
He will also have to deal with the opposition of the 137 People's Party (PP) deputies in Congress as well as the 32 members of the center-right party Ciudadanos who voted against Sanchez' no-confidence vote.
(With input from Xinhua)