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CostaBlancaPeople 5th-11th June 2018
New Prime Minister for Spain: Rajoy OUT Sanchez IN A
t 11am on Saturday Spain’s new Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez of the Socialist Party (PSOE), officially took office at the Zarzuela royal palace in the presence of King Felipe VI. For the first time in Spain’s democratic history, there was no Bible or crucifix at the ceremony. Outgoing Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy of the Popular Party (PP), was also present at the brief ceremony. Rajoy wished Sánchez “good luck” when
they greeted each other. Sánchez, who became the seventh Prime Minister in Spain’s democratic history, opted to “promise” to exercise his role as head of the Spanish government, rather than to swear. “I promise to faithfully meet the obligations of the role of Prime Minister with loyalty to the king and to observe and see observed the Constitution as the fundamental law of the state,” was the text he read. Catholics usually “swear” during the ceremony, whereas those without religious faith “promise.” The absence of Catholic symbols was introduced in 2014, in a bid to meet with the religious freedom in Spain established in the Constitution. After the brief ceremony, Pedro
Sánchez headed to La Moncloa Prime Ministerial palace, from where he will choose his new government. Spain’s lower house, the Congress of Deputies, on Friday backed the no-confidence motion against Mariano Rajoy with 180 votes in favour, four more than the absolute majority of 176. By doing so, the leader of the Socialist Party (PSOE), Pedro Sánchez, automatically became Prime Minister thanks to the support of his 84 deputies, and those of an assortment of other parties, including the left-wing anti-austerity group Unidos Podemos, the Basque Continued on page 10
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