MADRID: Spain’s parliament ousted Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy on Friday in a no-confidence vote sparked by fury over his party’s corruption woes, paving the way for a takeover by opposition leader Pedro Sanchez. An absolute majority of 180 lawmakers voted for the motion, making Rajoy the first prime minister to be ousted in a no-confidence vote since Spain transitioned to democracy in 1977. “It’s been an honor—there is none bigger—to have been Spain’s prime minister,” he told parliament after congratulating Sanchez, with lawmakers from his conservative Popular Party (PP) giving him a standing ovation. “For the first time we may get a prime minister who didn’t win elections,” he retorted. Rajoy became Spain’s first sitting prime minister to give evidence in a trial when he was called as a witness last year.

Source: Manila Times June 01, 2018 18:23 UTC