The leader of Spain’s Socialist party has been booted out of office.
The end came for Pedro Sánchez by a vote of 132 to 107 after ten hours of turbulent debate at an emergency executive committee meeting in Madrid on Saturday.
With emotions running high, shouts from the meeting at the party headquarters were heard from outside as members argued.
His resignation could open the way for the country to form a proper government rather than the provisional one it has had for the last nine months.
Sánchez had been adamant in his refusal to cooperate with acting prime minister Mariano Rajoy’s People’s Party (PP), which had won the most votes in two general elections but not enough to have the necessary majority for government.
He blamed the PP for damaging Spanish society and being hopelessly mired in corruption scandals. At the same time, many in his own party were blaming him for the party’s disastrous electoral performance.
The Socialist Party became deeply divided over its leader’s position.
After a coup against him erupted, Sánchez hoped to retain his position by holding a leadership contest in three weeks’ time. Instead, the executive committee decided by 132 votes to 107 to reject this plan.
“Today, following a day of intense debates, a vote was held on whether a party conference should take place on 23 October so that the grassroots could pick their leader … Unfortunately, I have lost this vote and I have resigned as secretary general of the party,” Sánchez told a news conference.
The Socialist Party is itself now in caretaker administration. It must quickly decide on how it will proceed as the end of October is the deadline for forming a government and thus avoiding a third general election.
It is not clear when a new leader will be chosen. Widely tipped for the position is Susana Díaz, who is currently president of Andalusia’s regional government.
Civil wars leave bitter legacies and it will take a long time for the Socialist Party to heal. Many observers believe that it is in their interest to avoid yet another election round in which their votes are likely to plummet further.
The Popular Party and Podemos are likely to be the beneficiaries of the Socialists’ disarray.
