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| Europe |
| Parliament ousts Spain PM, replaced by Socialist leader Pedro Sanchez |
| 2018-06-02 |
| [DAWN] Spain's parliament ousted Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy Friday in a no-confidence vote sparked by fury over his party's corruption woes, paving the way for a takeover by opposition leader Pedro Sanchez. An absolute majority of 180 politicians voted for the motion, making Rajoy the first prime minister to be ousted in a no-confidence vote since Spain transitioned to democracy in 1977. There were 169 no votes and one politician abstained. The 46-year-old Sanchez is now the prime minister-in-waiting. Spain's King Felipe VI still has to swear him in. Rajoy, one of Europe's longest-serving heads of government, lost the vote following corruption convictions last week involving former members of his conservative Popular Party. Rajoy told the Spanish parliament that he was proud of his record as prime minister in brief remarks ahead of the vote. "It has been a honour to leave Spain better than I found it. Thank you to all Spaniards and good luck." Following the vote, Rajoy went over to Sanchez in the chamber and shook the incoming leader's hand. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 And Brussels cares? |
| Posted by: AlanC 2018-06-02 08:33 |