Women make up majority of Spain's new cabinet

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Europe

Spain’s new Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez named his cabinet on Wednesday, with women taking most of the posts at the top of government for the first time in the country’s history.

The new cabinet is made up of 17 ministries, four more than the previous government of the right-wing People's Party.

The Socialist leader added the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training, the Ministry of Ecological Transition, the Ministry of Public Function and the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities.

Sanchez has given 11 of his 17 cabinet posts to women, including the defense, economy, finance and education portfolios.

Sanchez announced the name of his ministers in a press conference after an official meeting with King Felipe VI.

Sanchez, whose Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) holds just 84 of 350 parliamentary seats, was propelled into office on Friday after an unlikely alliance of anti-austerity and nationalist parties backed his bid to unseat Mariano Rajoy’s conservatives over a corruption scandal.

Spain's new Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez (L) shakes hands with ousted Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy after a motion of no confidence vote at parliament in Madrid, Spain, June 1, 2018. /VCG Photo

But he rejected calls for hard-left party Podemos to be given a place in government, despite its 67 seats and strong support for the no-confidence motion.

The bulk of Sanchez's appointments came from within the ranks of the PSOE.

Sanchez drew from a wide range of professions, however, choosing an astronaut for science minister, a state attorney specializing in the prosecution of jihadist attacks for justice minister and a climate change treaty negotiator for environment minister.

“All are highly qualified and bring a vocation for public service and reflect the best of Spain,” Sanchez told reporters on Wednesday.

“(The new cabinet) is pro-gender equality, cross-generational, open to the world but anchored in the European Union.”

High-profile women appointees included Socialist stalwart Carmen Calvo, who becomes deputy prime minister; budget director-general at the European Commission Nadia Calvino, named economy minister; and state prosecutor Dolores Delgado, who becomes justice minister.

With parliament fragmented, major policy shifts will be hard for Sanchez to push through, but quick wins on consensual, popular proposals could allow him to stay in office or potentially win a snap election if the government fails to last until the end of its scheduled term in 2020.

One of his biggest challenges will be rebuilding relations with the northeastern region of Catalonia, which held a divisive referendum on independence last year that culminated in the imposition of direct rule by Madrid.

He must stay firm on his party’s support for Spanish unity, enshrined in the country’s constitution, yet open lines of communication to repair relations with the region’s re-appointed government, which remains fiercely pro-independence.

He named two Catalans to cabinet posts, though his choice of vocal pro-unity former European Parliament president Josep Borrell as foreign minister angered secessionists.

Borrell has been vocal in his opposition to Catalonia's separatist movement. According to the local press, he has influence and projection in the European institutions.

Source(s): Reuters ,Xinhua News Agency