Spain starts transition to Socialist government with new cabinet
Spain will officially begin its legislative transition to its new Socialist government with the installment of the cabinet today.
This shift comes shortly after Friday’s vote of no confidence that saw socialist and opposition leader Pedro Sanchez take the premiership from centre-right Mariano Rajoy, who yesterday formally stepped down as the head of the People’s Party (PP). The PP, however, still holds a plurality of parliamentary seats and majority in the upper legislative house.
The Socialists’ agenda to increase public spending to counter Rajoy’s austerity measures will likely blocked by the remaining PP members of parliament and allow for healthy EU relations to stay. What could be of concern lay in another wind in the Catalonian independence movement with the induction of staunch pro-independence Quim Torra as Catalan’s new president. Spain’s new pro-union prime minister will have to balance appeasing the Catalan separatists while trying to gain more seats in parliament. Sanchez will likely be regularly challenged by Torra and his separatist supporters, some of whom may be instrumental in the success or failure of Sanchez’s agenda through their support in parliament.
