Spain's Socialists and far-left Unidas Podemos party agreed on the basis of a coalition government on Tuesday, just two days after a parliamentary election delivered a highly fragmented parliament.
Spain’s Socialist leader Pedro Sanchez, fresh from a win for his party in national elections on Sunday, said the only conditions he would place on forming a coalition government would be respecting the constitution and promoting social justice.
Spain’s Socialists increased their lead in two polls published over the weekend, with support from 28.8% to 30.3% of voters, but they fell short of a majority ahead of a general election on April 28.
An alliance between the right-wing Partido Popular, Ciudadanos and Vox resulted in Ciudadanos’ deputy Marta Bosquet being voted in as Speaker of the Andalusia Parliament. She received 59 votes from the three parties, which put her ahead of left-wing alliance Adelante Andalucía’s Inmaculada Nieto who held 50 votes.
The Spanish Government hopes to reach agreement on Gibraltar’s post-Brexit relations with Spain and the EU by October against the backdrop of the UK’s wider withdrawal negotiations, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Thursday.
Spain's government passed a decree on Friday to smooth the way for the relocation of the remains of former dictator Francisco Franco with the aim of turning his mausoleum into a memorial for the victims of the Spanish civil war.
Chief Minister Fabian Picardo told the United Nations on Monday that Gibraltar was ready to work with Spain’s new Socialist government for the mutual benefit of citizens on both sides of the border. This, he underscored, did not deviate from Gibraltar’s cast-iron position on sovereignty and the principle of self-determination.
Spain's Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has given 11 of his 17 cabinet posts to women, a higher proportion than anywhere else in Europe. A self-styled feminist, Sánchez' choice was in marked contrast to the male-dominated executives of ex-PM Mariano Rajoy, ousted last week.
Spanish lawmakers have agreed to subject Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy to a vote of no confidence this week. It comes in the wake of graft convictions of businesspeople and officials tied to his conservative Popular Party (PP).
Spanish opposition parties have launched a fierce campaign to end the conservative government of Mariano Rajoy after courts ruled that his Partido Popular profited from a large kickbacks-for-contracts scheme. The Socialist opposition announced a vote of no confidence against the prime minister with the backing of anti-establishment and left-wing parties, while the pro-business Ciudadanos (Citizens) – which had supported the conservative minority government until now – urged Mr Rajoy to call a fresh election.