Vote of no confidence a real threat for Rajoy following PSOE primaries

HAVING previously resigned as leader of the PSOE political party, the reappointment of Pedro Sánchez on Sunday could see a major change in Spanish politics.

The reason that Mariano Rajoy managed to form a government was because he was backed by Ciudadanos and PSOE eventually abstained on the vote, but now Sánchez is back safe in the knowledge that he is the parties preferred leader  so things could be about to change.

The left wing Podemos party had already put into place a motion of no confidence in the current government and had proposed their somewhat idiosyncratic leader Pablo Iglesias as the new Prime Minister but the return of Sánchez has presented a new option.

Pablo Echenique deputy speaker of Podemos has said that Iglesias would withdraw his party’s motion if PSOE will take it up and inferred that Podemos would support Pedro Sánchez for the role of Spain’s new Prime Minister if the vote of no confidence is successful.

Rajoy made it clear soon after the PSOE election results that he would not step down but between them PSOE and Podemos control 156 votes which is 20 less than the majority required to topple the government but there are 17 Catalan and 7 Basque independence MPs who might be persuaded to vote against the ruling PP.

Although he had not responded formally to this suggestion on Monday afternoon, it is generally thought that the PSOE leader regrets allowing the PP back into power and assuming that he can come to a sensible deal with Podemos, may well be tempted to try to form a new government of the left.