Pedro Sanchez sworn in as Spain’s new Prime Minister
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Socialist party leader Pedro Sanchez has been sworn in as Spain’s new Prime Minister a day after a vote of no-confidence booted his conservative People’s Party (PP) rival Mariano Rajoy from power.
The country’s new leader will preside over a minority government propped up by the leftist Podemos bloc and other parties, including Basque and Catalan nationalists.
Sanchez has made his promise which installed him as a Prime Minister by placing his hand on the page of the Spanish Magna Carta which has Article 62, the article which established the functions of the King in relation to the Government. EuropaPress states that this is the first time in the Spanish democracy that the oath of office was done without a crucifix and a bible.
Before being sworn in by Spain’s King Felipe VI on Saturday, Sanchez vowed to tackle the “social emergencies” experienced by Spaniards after years of austerity measures.
The inauguration marks the end of an unprecedented episode in modern Spanish history, which saw a serving prime minister fail to secure the confidence of parliament for the first time since Spain’s transition to democracy in 1977.
