A weak Spanish government has been replaced by one which is even weaker. New Spanish prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, will have little option but to a call a general election sooner rather than later. Sanchez toppled Mariano Rajoy of the Partido Popular for all the right reasons; the party had been engulfed in numerous corruption allegations and parliament decided that he had to go.
But what Sanchez should have done is to have immediately called a general election. This still might happen because he doesn't really have a mandate to rule. His party will have to rely on the support of many parties to remain in office - from the far left Podemos to Catalan and Basque nationalists. He can't guarantee any political stability and of course he has made an enemy of the Partido Popular, the biggest party in parliament. Ciudadanos, the new liberal party in Spain which has enjoyed a spectacular growth in support, voted against the no-confidence motion presented by Sanchez which toppled Rajoy.
So, two of the biggest parties in parliament are opposed to the new coalition government. "I am aware of the responsibility I am assuming, of the complex political moment our country is going through, and I will rise to all the challenges with humility and dedication," Sanchez told reporters. He is certainly not wrong. The last thing that Spain needs at the moment is political uncertainty. Sanchez should be very aware of this and take action.