Insight
The accidental prime minister: What Spain’s new government means for the EU by Camino Mortera-Martinez 26 July 2018
Spain’s new government might not last long. But it could act as a catalyst for progress on the thorny issues of migration, eurozone reform and Catalonia. Mariano Rajoy, the seemingly invincible former leader of the Spanish conservatives, did not expect to be out of a job this summer. Having muddled his way through several crises since he took office, including a bid for independence in Catalonia and the threat of a financial bailout from the EU institutions, he had good reason to feel safe. But the denouement of a scandal about fundraising at his Popular Party (PP) proved to be too much for a country where corruption and fraud are seen as the biggest problem after high unemployment. On May 24th, Spain’s National High Court ruled that Rajoy’s PP had received money illegally and used it to finance electoral campaigns. The judges fell short of accusing Rajoy of lying – though they said his testimony before the court could not be trusted. Shortly after the ruling, Pedro Sánchez, the leader of Spain’s socialist party (PSOE), brought a motion of no confidence against Rajoy. For his motion to succeed, Sánchez needed the support of 176 of the Parliament’s 350 members. The socialist party only held 84 seats, and had serious disagreements over labour policies with the centre-right Ciudadanos (32 seats) and over Catalonia with the far-left Podemos (67 seats) and other smaller, regional parties (29 seats). No one – perhaps not even Sánchez himself – thought that he would defeat Rajoy. Yet he managed to gain the support of 180 MPs – all but Ciudadanos, PP and two smaller sister parties from Asturias and Navarra.
CER INSIGHT: The accidental prime minister: What Spain’s new government means for the EU 26 July 2018
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