Spain's Mariano Rajoy lost a confidence vote in Parliament on Friday, making his government the first in Spanish history to fall in this way.

His political opponent Pedro Sanchez, the leader of the main opposition Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE), now automatically becomes prime minister.

Rajoy’s fall follows years of corruption allegations against his Popular Party. The corruption scandal culminated last week in a court convicting his former aides of running slush funds to help finance Popular Party election campaigns.
Rajoy’s fate was sealed after the Socialists secured support for the no confidence motion on Thursday from a number of smaller parties in Parliament, including the Basque Nationalist Party.

In total, 180 of the chamber’s 350 lawmakers voted in support of the motion, a clear majority. There were 169 votes against and one abstention.

The chamber erupted in applause after the results of the vote were read out.

Rajoy effectively conceded defeat ahead of the vote, congratulating Sanchez on his expected win.

“In light of what we all know, I presume that the vote of no confidence will go ahead, and Pedro Sánchez will become the prime minister and I want to be the first to congratulate him,” Rajoy told Parliament.

“I will accept the result of the vote as the democrat I am, but I cannot agree with what has been done.”
Sanchez, the leader of the main opposition Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE), would then automatically become prime minister.

Sanchez has said that he would call for snap elections should he become Prime Minister.

Before Rajoy’s arrival, Rafael Hernando, spokesman for the Popular Party in Parliament, asked Sanchez to withdraw the vote of no confidence, saying that he was proud of Rajoy as Prime Minister. “He is an honest man who has worked tirelessly to rebuild a country that the PSOE left devastated,” he said.

However, Margarita Robles, spokeswoman for the Socialist Party in Parliament said: “Spain does not deserve a prime minister who is not here and who lies in the courts of justice to cover corruption.”

On Thursday, Rajoy chose not to attend a parliamentary debate on his future, when several opposition parties openly said their lawmakers would vote against him. That meant 180 of parliament’s 350 members, a clear majority, would voice their lack of confidence in the leader.

The confidence motion was filed by Sanchez after a court convicted Rajoy’s former aides of running slush funds to help finance Popular Party election campaigns. The court also questioned the credibility of Rajoy’s testimony during the proceedings.

It was the first time in Spain that a party had been convicted and fined on corruption-related charges.

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