Pedro Sánchez resigns leaving PSOE in hands of caretaker commission

2016-10-04 08:00:00

Pedro Sánchez announce his resignation as secretary general of the Socialist PSOE on Saturday evening after an 11-hour meeting of the party's federal committee in Madrid.
Committee members had been asked to vote on Sánchez's proposal to hold an emergency party conference and leadership elections. The proposal was rejected by 132 committee members and supported by 107.
After losing the vote Sánchez stood down, leaving the party in the hands of a caretaker commission, led by Asturias president Javier Fernández. It will be up to the catertakers to decide whether the party will allow acting prime minister, Mariano Rajoy, to form a new Spanish government, the issue at the centre of the Socialists' crisis.
Saturday's outcome sees a victory for Sánchez's detractors, who were against his decision to continue to block Rajoy's attempts to form a government with his "No means no" policy.
The discontent came to a head on Wednesday when 17 members of the party's ruling council, the Comité Federal, resigned.
Sánchez's supporters, including several hundred people who gathered outside the party HQ during Saturday's meeting, likened the action to a coup within the party to oust their leader.source surinenglish