SPAIN ended its political hiatus on Saturday when Mariano Rajoy, leader of the Partido Popular, was re-elected prime minister by Congress. The move brought to an end ten months of caretaker administration following two indecisive general elections.
As expected, Rajoy lost the first vote during the investiture debate on Thursday which required him achieve an absolute majority. However, in the second vote on Saturday, when only a simple majority was required, enough opposition socialist PSOE members abstained to allow Rajoy to win.
