Spanish PM Rajoy ousted, Socialist to lead government

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Parliament members unseated Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy with a vote of no-confidence on Friday, with Socialist Party leader Pedro Sanchez slated to become the country's new premier.

Rajoy has held the post for over six years, since Dec. 2011. The no-confidence vote was triggered by a corruption scandal involving members of his center-right party.

Sanchez won the motion by 180 votes to 169, with one abstention. The 46-year-old leader is the head of Spain's Socialist Worker's Party that holds 84 seats in the 350-member assembly.

He vowed to address the “social emergencies” of the country’s citizens after years of austerity measures, and could be sworn in by King Felipe VI as soon as Saturday, with his cabinet expected to be formed in the coming days.

The new premier would lead the fourth-largest economy in Eurozone at a time that the European Union (EU) faces multiple critical issues, including the impending departure of Britain from the union and the refugee crisis in the region.

Sanchez will head a minority government that would require him to reach an agreement with other parties to successfully pass legislation. The no-confidence vote was a big success for Spain's center-left party that favors EU and the euro currency used by 19 countries in the union.

Rajoy is the first prime minister to be ousted by parliament in Spain’s four decades of democracy.

“It has been an honor to leave Spain better than I found it,” Rajoy told members of parliament before the no-confidence vote took place.

While in office, he was able to develop the economy of Spain, but his party’s reputation was tainted by a court verdict last week that identified it as a beneficiary of massive bribes in a contracts scheme.

Sanchez will be the seventh Prime Minister of Spain since the late 1970s. He announced that tackling social issues will be his priority, including adding measures to assist young and elderly people.

On Friday, he told reporters that he was “aware of the responsibility and the complex political moment of our country.”

Sanchez vowed that he would “transform and modernize” Spain by promoting consensus among political parties, as well as “address the social urgencies of many people who suffer precariousness and inequality.”

He also promised to hold a new election before the end of his government term in 2020.

Editing by John J. Catherine