Spain's PM Sanchez survives no-confidence vote

Spain's legislators on Wednesday rejected a move to oust Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, following 14 hours of debate in the 350-seat parliament.

Sanchez, of the Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE), is currently leading a governing coalition with the left-wing alternative alliance United We Can (Unidas Podemos) and the support of smaller Catalan and Basque parties.

The vote of no confidence comes just two months before local and regional elections are to take place in Spain.

It was the second move to oust him in the current legislative period. Both attempts were brought on by the far-right populist party by Vox.

Sanchez: PP 'closer to far right'

Some 201 lawmakers voted against the no-confidence motion, while 53 voted in favor and 91 abstained. Of those who supported it, 52 were members of Vox and one was an independent member of parliament.

The abstaining votes all came from the conservative Partido Popular (PP), the largest opposition party in the legislature. 

"It is remarkable and revealing to see the traditional right ... getting closer and closer to the far right," Sanchez said, accusing PP of having abstained in order to appease Vox.

The parliamentary debate was marked by acrimony, with legislators attacking each other over personal and policy issues, involving anything from climate change, feminism, the economy and Spanish democracy.

Sanchez blasted Vox for fomenting "hate" and putting forth a "destructive" no-confidence motion.

Ex-communist joins far-right move

In 2019, Vox entered parliament and became Spain's third-largest party. The movement has gained ground — last year it won its first share of power in one of Spain's regional governments alongside the PP.

The far-right party has accused Sanchez's government of promoting illegal immigration and being too close to separatist parties in Catalonia and the Basque Country.

Vox's no-confidence move on Wednesday was defended by an unlikely figure, an independent parliamentarian, Ramon Tamames. He does not belong to Vox and was once a communist who was instrumental in Spain's transition to democracy.

Eighty-nine-year-old Tamames said he was seeking to protect the "Spanish nation" from a leftist government that was supported by Catalonian and Basque pro-independence parties.

Vox leader Santiago Abascal said he was "satisfied" with the result, even though the motion did not go through. "Once again, we have exposed one of the worst governments in our history," he told reporters. 

"We knew what the outcome (of the vote) would be but above all we were satisfied with the debate, we wanted this government to be exposed and it was," Abascal added.

jcg/nm (dpa, Reuters, EFE)