Spain

No new Prime Minister in Spain

The socialist Sánchez went chanceless in the first attempt for the election of the new Spanish government, and it failed as expected. For the special Moment in the Parliament, two to the left politicians.

The 44-year-old party leader of the socialists received in Parliament, only 130 of the 350 votes. 219 parliamentarians voted against him, with one abstention.

Conservative and Left against Sanchez

For a choice of Pedro Sánchez, would have required an absolute majority. The candidate but received only the votes of his group and the liberal party Ciudadanos. The conservative people’s party (PP), the new left party Podemos, as well as the regional and smaller parties voted almost closed against Sánchez.

Sánchez had been proposed by king Felipe VI as a candidate after the conservative Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy, who is not a candidacy for a further term of office. His people’s party in the parliamentary election on 20. December, the absolute majority lost, and no coalition partner. Rajoy is only in a caretaker capacity.

Second round on Friday

Now will be held on Friday for a second vote, in the case of the Sánchez, a simple majority (more Yes than no votes) would be sufficient. However, the socialist can make according to the previous scenario, this little bit of hope. If Sanchez fails in the second passage, on 26. June elections are due, provided that up to 2. May elected a new Prime Minister.

Podemos chief Iglesias (R) kisses his party friend Domenech

A kiss under the Left

For more excitement as the vote is a Premiere in the Spanish Parliament’s history: The first men kiss in the plenary. After the Deputy had finished, Xavier Domènech of Podemos in his speech on the government programme of Sánchez, took him by the head of the left party, Pablo Iglesias, in the Arm and kissed him.

The kiss of the parliamentarians struck waves in the Online media and in social networks. In the case of Twitter, the scene has been compared to, among other things, with the brotherly kiss of the Communist state and party leaders of the Soviet Union and the GDR, Mikhail Gorbachev and Erich Honecker in October 1989. The newspaper “El País” wrote in its Online edition: “The special thing about it was the kiss of Iglesias and Domènech, but these were the horrified looks with which the Ministers of the conservative government pursued the scene.”

wl/kle (dpa, rtre)