Sanchez re-elected as Prime Minister of Spain

The vote came after two days of intense debate in the Spanish parliament, where the opposition Partido Popular and Vox described the amnesty law negotiated by Sánchez’s PSOE party with the Catalan separatist Junts party as “political corruption.”

The law, which grants amnesty to those involved in Catalonia’s illegal independence bid in 2017, has led to large and sometimes violent protests in Spain recently.

Thanks to the agreement, the PSOE was able to secure the support of the Catalan independence parties in the vote for prime minister.

During the discussion, Pedro Sanchez instead stressed the importance of a united Spain – and noted that the agreement is part of a solution to the years-long conflict between Catalonia and the capital, Madrid.

Santiago Abascal, leader of the far-right Vox party, left the House of Representatives on Wednesday after his speech. Instead, he chose to join the protests outside the Socialist Workers’ Party headquarters in Madrid, which are now in their 12th day.

Sanchez received 179 votes out of a total of 350 member votes. His government coalition will also include the leftist Somare Alliance.