Rajoy, a temporary victory

Mariano Rajoy has just been confirmed by Spain´s Parliament as Prime Minister. He won the vote because the Socialist Party (PSOE) decided to abstain. After ten months of political uncertainties and drama, the country has now a full-fledged government.

But Rajoy, who has been Prime Minister since 2011 – in Spain the job is called President of the Government, to indicate the authority that is attached to it – starts his new mandate from a very weak power base. His party does not control enough votes in the Cortes (Parliament). This means he will have to look for compromise at the critical moments of his governance. Not easy, as Spain´s political scene is very fragmented. Moreover, there are many personal antipathies among the key party leaders. And Rajoy himself is not really a man that knows about bridge-building. He is too arrogant to be able to act as a good negotiator.

Rajoy´s term might be short-lived. Spain could have new general elections in a year or two. Fortunately, the economy is doing well and steadily recovering from the deep crisis it suffered a few years ago.