Mariano Rajoy packs his bags and leaves Moncloa. The Spanish Congress approved the motion of censure tabled against the government by the Socialist Party after the historic ruling in the Gurtel case, corruption scandal involving the People's Party: 180 votes in favour, 169 against and 1 abstention. It is the first time in the history of Spain that an incumbent government has been disheartened by the opposition.
Rajoy will therefore be forced to submit his resignation and he will be replaced by PSOE number one, Pedro Sanchez. On the basis of the provisions of the Spanish Constitution, in fact, if the motion of censure is approved – similar to our no-confidence – it is the leader of the opposition, namely Sanchez, who automatically becomes Prime Minister, forming a new government.
In addition to the PSOE, the following voted yes: Unidos Podemos, a left-wing alliance between Podemos and Izquierda Unida, the Catalan separatists, the Basque Nationalist Party (Pnv) Compromìs, a left-wing coalition of the Valencian autonomous community; EH Bildu, left-wing Basque independence coalition; and Nueva Canarias, a centre-left nationalist party in the Canary Islands.
"A new page opens in the history of our country” Sánchez declared in Parliament. The new government, the leader of the PSOE Margarita Robles has already announced, will follow "the model of that of José Luis Zapatero".
The ruling in the Gurtel case has therefore inflicted the mortal body on the Rajoy government, despite the attempts at "resistance" put in place by the now ex prime minister in recent days.
We recall that the judges have inflicted on the whole 351 years in prison for 29 of the 37 defendants in the trial for participating in an “effective institutional corruption structure”.
What will happen now in Spain? As mentioned, Sanchez will be appointed prime minister by King Felipe after he presents his resignation. However, the PSOE leader has already said that his task will be to lead his country towards new elections, the third in three years.
While the Italian political crisis seems to be returning, the Spanish one explodes in all its uncertainty.
