King Felipe VI on Thursday swore in Spain’s new cabinet. A lot of of emphasis has been made on the gender of the cabinet members. The reason is the fact that with 11 out of 17 members being female, the new cabinet has the highest proportion of female ministers (64.7 %) in Spanish and European history,
But gender balance is not the only element which got the attention of commentators. The cabined of Sanchez is also pro-European and anti-Catalan separatist. Pedro Sánchez’ pro-European cabinet demonstrates that unlike the new Italian government, Spain remains more committed than ever to the European project and that Madrid’s deficit reduction commitments to the EU will be respected under Sánchez.
Sanchez drew from a wide range of professions, however, choosing an astronaut for science minister, a state attorney specialising in the prosecution of jihadist attacks for justice minister and a climate change treaty negotiator for environment minister.
Sanchez’s lineup makes no concessions to the parties who supported Rajoy with all top positions reserved for Socialist Party (PSOE) members or individuals with close ties to it. It rejected calls for places in government for hard-left party Podemos, which with 67 seats was a key supporter of the no-confidence motion. El Pais reports “The Sánchez government would be a lot more solid with Podemos members in it,” said spokeswoman Noelia Vera on Monday. “But it looks like he’s going to choose a weaker government.”
One of Sánchez’s key appointments is Josep Borrell, a party veteran who will hold the foreign affairs portfolio. Borrell, 71, served as a minister in the 1990s under Felipe González, and he was president of the European Parliament from 2004 to 2007.
Borrell, who is Catalan, has also been an active campaigner against the ongoing secession drive in the northeastern Spanish region. In Catalan separatist circles, news of Borrell’s appointment did not go down well. He was described as someone “from another era” who has contributed to “the escalation of hate” by Carles Puigdemont, the former Catalan premier who was removed by Madrid after leading a unilateral independence drive last year and is now in Germany fighting extradition to Spain on rebellion charges.
Another high-profile pick in Sanchez Cabinet is Carmen Calvo, who will simultaneously be the deputy PM and the head of the newly restored Equality Ministry.
It had been widely expected that Sánchez would seek a higher profile for equality issues on a year when women’s rights have risen to the top of the public agenda. Spain held a widely followed “feminist strike” on March 8, Women’s Day, and the ruling in a recent gang-rape trial triggered nationwide protests over the treatment of rape victims by the law. Calvo, 60, as an expert in constitutional law, last year Calvo was tasked with negotiating the scope of Article 155 – the part of the Constitution used to temporarily suspend autonomous powers in Catalonia – with the Popular Party.
“All are highly qualified and bring a vocation for public service and reflect the best of Spain,” Sanchez told reporters on Wednesday.
