What Happened: The Spanish parliament dismissed Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy in a vote of no confidence on June 1, the Financial Times reported. Socialist leader Pedro Sanchez, who filed the no-confidence motion, will immediately become prime minister.
Why It Matters: The new Spanish government will likely be very fragile and may hold early elections, which are scheduled for 2020.
Background: The Socialists, Spain's main opposition party, proposed the no-confidence vote after a court convicted several people who were linked to Rajoy's party of corruption. Spain has been engulfed in a political crisis between Catalonia and the federal government.
Read More:
- Italy and Spain Rattle the Eurozone (May 29, 2018)
- Spain, Catalonia and the Distance That Divides (Nov. 11, 2017)
- Independence-Minded Catalonia Will Tread a More Cautious Path (May 14, 2018)
