Spanish PM Sánchez – What next after absolute majority vote?

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has succeeded in his first step to be reelected as the country's leader. After securing deals with seven different political parties in the Spanish Congress, Sánchez was voted as the new PM with 179 votes in favor.

The parties that supported Sánchez’s bid were voted for by around 12,600,000 citizens in July’s election. 

Sánchez closed the debate sessions with a defense of the agreements reached with other parties that he said will allow for a new era of "social policy" and "progress."

He reminded the conservative People's Party that "the sovereignty of Spanish democracy resides in this chamber, which is where the democratic will of the people is expressed." As such, his new government will be "a legitimate, democratic, and constitutional government," responding to the right wing's claims that the new legislature is a "fraud."

What happens next?

After the vote, with the session in Congress finished, chamber speaker Francina Armengol spoke around 5:30 pm with Spanish king Felipe VI to announce the result of the bid.

On Friday at 10 am, Pedro Sánchez will be sworn in at Zarzuela, the Spanish Royal Palace, in front of the King and members of the judiciary such as the head of the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court, and the Judiciary Council. In the room, there will also be the speakers of the Senate and the Congress.

Weekend, new ministers

During the weekend, Pedro Sánchez will announce his next cabinet, the second coalition government in modern democracy in Spain.

The deal with the left-wing coalition Sumar will mean both groups will divide ministries.

Once the deal between both is achieved, Sánchez will give a press conference from Moncloa, the headquarters building of the Spanish government in Madrid, and the new cabinet members will be sworn in on Monday in Zarzuela, as sources from the executive told the Catalan News Agency (ACN).

The first cabinet meeting is scheduled for Tuesday after the traditional picture with all new members on the stairs of the Moncloa building.

Support of Catalan pro-independence parties

To gain the support to name Sánchez prime minister once again, a series of controversial concessions were offered to the pro-independence groups, including an amnesty law which has not yet been ratified, but which has drawn heavy criticism from the Spanish right, leading to many protests, some of which turning violent, across the country in recent weeks.

The proposed amnesty is expected to apply for at least all of the political leadership of the 2017 Catalan independence referendum, which was deemed illegal by Spanish courts. Part of the organizers of that vote were eventually imprisoned for sedition and later pardoned, while another part left the country and still live in exile, including former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont.

Fifteen people were arrested during the 13th night of anti-amnesty protests outside the Socialists' headquarters in Madrid on Wednesday night. Anti-riot police discharged pepper spray and charged with batons, causing the rally of around 2,000 people to quickly break up. This follows similar scenes in the Spanish capital on numerous nights over the past fortnight.