Prime Minister of Spain

A discussion on a confidence vote in the government is to begin in Parliament on Wednesday with a vote scheduled for Friday night, House speakers decided on Monday.

MADRID (Reuters) - Socialist Pedro Sanchez took over as Spain's prime minister on Friday, after outgoing leader Mariano Rajoy lost a parliamentary confidence vote triggered by a long-running corruption trial involving members of his center-right party.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy was threatened with no-confidence motions and demands for a snap election on May 25 over a graft trial involving members of his party in which a judge cast doubt on his testimony.

All 28 EU Member States have agreed on the text of the final declaration of the EU-Western Balkans Summit to be held in Sofia on 17 May, BNR said, quoting Bulgarian EU Presidency Minister Lilyana Pavlova. In Brussels, she stressed that there is still room for any country to confirm its participation in the forum.

Czech Prime Minister Andrei Babis has asked MPs to lift his parliamentary immunity to be investigated for fraud signals at a time when he is struggling to win support for his minority government, Reuters reported.

Catalonia’s former leader Carles Puigdemont on Dec. 30 urged Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy to accept the results of a Dec. 21 local election which gave a slim majority to parties favoring a split of the northeastern region from Spain.

The Spanish government will not allow the unilateral declaration of independence by the Catalan authorities to become a reality, in an interview with the El País newspaper Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy. He pointed out that Madrid may use the constitution if the separation is announced, BNR reported.

Prime Minister and president-elect Aleksandar Vucic on Thursday received congratulations from Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, the government announced.

Spanish King Felipe VI has announced no new candidate will be put forward as Prime Minister, paving the way for early elections.

Parliament will be dissolved on May 03, and a snap vote will be held on June 26, local media report.

The legislature's lower house would not provide enough support for any new Prime Minister candidate, the King believes.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said Monday that Greece still has time to reach an agreement with its bailout creditors before its existing aid program ends on Tuesday night.