Pedro Sánchez reelected Spain’s prime minister despite controversy over amnesty for separatists

By CIARÁN GILES and JOSEPH WILSON
Associated Press

MADRID (AP) — Spain’s acting Socialist prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, has won a parliamentary vote to form a new leftist coalition government. Sánchez was backed by 179 lawmakers in the 350-seat lower house Thursday. Only right-wing opposition deputies voted against him. The vote followed nearly two days of debate centering almost entirely on an amnesty deal for Catalonia’s separatists that secured Sánchez vital support. It remains to be seen if Sánchez can maintain enough support to stay in power given some of his backers are parties that want to break Catalonia away from Spain.