Panorama Spain

Spain has a new government after Socialist Party leader Pedro Sánchez won a vote of no-confidence against now former Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy on Friday.  Sánchez filed the motion against the government one day after a court had found the governing Popular Party liable to a nearly 250 thousand euro fine as the beneficiary of a contracts for kickbacks corruption scheme and sentenced its former treasurer Luis Barcenas to 33 years in jail.  The no-confidence vote won with the support of Unidos Podemos, the Catalan pro-independence parties, the Basque separatist party and the conservative Basque Nationalist Party.  The Socialists will govern from a smaller minority than their predecessors, holding only 84 seats in the 350 seat Parliament.