Socialist Takes Helm in Spain

Pedro Sánchez was sworn in on Saturday as Spain’s new prime minister, capping a remarkable personal comeback and a week of political upheaval that culminated in the first removal of an incumbent leader by Parliament in modern Spanish history.

Little more than a year ago, Sánchez, 46, seemed lost in the political wilderness, deposed as the leader of Spain’s Socialist party after two record electoral defeats. And the man he has now replaced, Mariano Rajoy, 63, was seen as the great survivor of Spanish politics, one of Europe’s longest-serving heads of government.

But Sánchez was unexpectedly re-elected as Socialist leader seven months after his ousting. Then, when Rajoy’s conservative Popular Party was tarnished by corruption — a court last week found the party guilty of operating a slush fund — he pounced, assembling parliamentary backing for a vote of no confidence in Rajoy, which passed on Friday.

Still, his tenure could be short. The Socialist party holds just under a quarter of the seats in Parliament. Like the vote against Rajoy, his government will rely on support from the far-left Podemos party and nationalists from Catalonia and the Basque region.

If any of those forces cease to back him, Spain will be headed for another general election.

Sánchez was sworn in by King Felipe VI in the presence of Rajoy during a short ceremony whose symbolism was more important than usual.

He promised to fulfill the obligations of the Spanish constitution — in the midst of a conflict with separatist politicians in Catalonia who have defied it in their efforts to break away. He also became the first Spanish leader to take office without the presence of either the Bible or a crucifix.

One of the main challenges for Sánchez will be Catalonia, where Rajoy had been at loggerheads with separatists for years. Sánchez has promised in Parliament to “rebuild bridges.”

But he didn’t say exactly how he planned to resolve the territorial conflict, and his takeover in Madrid coincides with the start of a new separatist administration in Catalonia, following the election of Quim Torra as regional president. Sánchez recently called Torra “a racist” over past remarks he had made about Spaniards.

Torra and his regional government also took office on Saturday. His appointment ends a period of home rule from Madrid that Rajoy imposed in late October after the previous Catalan leader, Carles Puigdemont, and other separatist lawmakers declared unilateral independence, in contravention of Spain’s constitution.

In his inaugural address in the Catalan capital, Barcelona, on Saturday, Torra urged the new Socialist leader to stay true to a promise of renewing talks.

“Mr. Sánchez, let’s speak, let’s take risks, you and us,” he said.

Sánchez is due to name his Cabinet in the coming days, and women are expected to feature prominently. Sánchez, however, is not expected to include politicians from the other parties that supported his election.