MADRID -- Pedro Sanchez was sworn in as Spain's prime minister Saturday, a day after the Socialist leader successfully ousted predecessor Mariano Rajoy who lost a no-confidence vote in parliament. Rajoy was in attendance at the ceremony held in the royal Zarzuela Palace and shook Sanchez's hand after the new leader was sworn in by King Felipe VI before they posed for a photo with the monarch along with the speakers of the lower Congress of Deputies and the Senate.

Sanchez took an oath of loyalty to the King and to Spain's Constitution. He did so without swearing on the Bible or Crucifix, a first for a Spanish prime minister since the restoration of the democracy.

Sanchez toppled Rajoy following a court ruling in a major corruption case involving the conservative leader's Popular Party. Parliament voted 180-169 Friday to replace Rajoy's government with one led by Sanchez. One lawmaker abstained.

Spain is the eurozone's No. 4 economy and an influential member of the European Union. Sanchez and his party are staunch supporters of the EU and the shared currency.

Sanchez has vowed to fight corruption and help those Spaniards affected by years of public spending cuts under Rajoy's government. He also pledged to hold an election soon, while not setting a date.

Sanchez will lead a minority government and will need the support of both the far-left Podemos (We Can) party and the backing of a motley crew of regional parties and Catalan secessionists to get anything done in government.

Sanchez has pledged to open talks with the separatist leader of northeastern Catalonia, which is set to recover the large degree of self-rule after chief Quim Torra swears in his Cabinet later Saturday.

The forming of a Catalan government will automatically end the extraordinary takeover by Spain's central powers of the region as part of its crackdown following a failed declaration of independence by Catalonia in October.

The 46-year-old Sanchez is Spain's seventh prime minister since the return to democracy following the death of dictator Gen. Francisco Franco in 1975.</s>Pedro Sánchez has been sworn in as Spain’s prime minister, a day after the Socialist leader successfully ousted predecessor Mariano Rajoy, who lost a no-confidence vote in parliament.

Mr Rajoy was in attendance at the ceremony held on Saturday in the royal Zarzuela Palace and shook Mr Sánchez’s hand after the new leader was sworn in by King Felipe VI. The two then posed for a photo with the monarch along with the speakers of the lower Congress of Deputies and the senate.

In the ceremony, Mr Sánchez took an oath of loyalty to the king and to Spain’s constitution.

He did so without swearing on the Bible or a crucifix, a first for a Spanish prime minister since the restoration of democracy in the 1970s.

Mr Sánchez toppled Mr Rajoy following a court ruling in a major corruption case involving the conservative leader’s Popular Party.

Parliament voted 180-169 on Friday to replace Mr Rajoy’s government with one led by Mr Sánchez.

Spain is the euro zone’s fourth-largest economy. Mr Sánchez and his party are staunch supporters of the EU and the shared currency.

Mr Sánchez has vowed to fight corruption and help those Spaniards affected by years of public spending cuts under Mr Rajoy’s government.

He also pledged to hold an election soon, while not setting a date.

Mr Sánchez will lead a minority government and will need the support of both the left-wing Podemos party and the backing of regional parties and Catalan secessionists to get anything done in government. – AP</s>MADRID (Reuters) - Socialist Pedro Sanchez was sworn in on Saturday as Spain’s seventh head of government since its return to democracy in the late 1970s, taking over from veteran conservative Mariano Rajoy who was ousted on Friday over a corruption scandal.

One of Sanchez’ main challenges will be to try and find a way out of the crisis in the wealthy Catalonia region, where a new nationalist government was due to be sworn in on Saturday.

Sanchez was sworn in as Spanish prime minister before King Felipe, his right hand on the constitution — the first time that was not done with the Bible or a crucifix.

Sanchez became prime minister with only 84 seats for his Socialist Party in the 350-member assembly thanks to support from the hard-left Podemos and smaller nationalist parties.

He said he intends to steer the country through to mid-2020 when the parliamentary term ends.

But his majority - the smallest for a Spanish government since the return to democracy following Francisco Franco’s death in 1975, makes it unclear how long his administration can last.</s>Pedro Sanchez has been sworn in as Spain’s prime minister, a day after the Socialist leader successfully ousted predecessor Mariano Rajoy who lost a no-confidence vote in parliament.

Mr Rajoy was in attendance at the ceremony held in the royal Zarzuela Palace and shook Mr Sanchez’s hand after the new leader was sworn in by King Felipe VI before they posed for a photo with the monarch along with the speakers of the lower Congress of Deputies and the Senate.

Mr Sanchez took an oath of loyalty to the King and to Spain’s Constitution.

He did so without swearing on the Bible or Crucifix, a first for a Spanish prime minister since the restoration of the democracy.

Mr Sanchez toppled Mr Rajoy following a court ruling in a major corruption case involving the conservative leader’s Partido Popular.

Parliament voted 180-169 on Friday to replace Mr Rajoy’s government with one led by Mr Sanchez.

Spain is the eurozone’s fourth largest economy and an influential member of the European Union. Mr Sanchez and his party are staunch supporters of the EU and the shared currency.

Mr Sanchez has vowed to fight corruption and help those Spaniards affected by years of public spending cuts under Mr Rajoy’s government.

He also pledged to hold an election soon, while not setting a date.

Mr Sanchez will lead a minority government and will need the support of both the far-left Podemos party and the backing of regional parties and Catalan secessionists to get anything done in government.</s>MADRID (Reuters) - Socialist Pedro Sanchez was sworn in on Saturday as Spain’s seventh head of government since its return to democracy in the late 1970s, taking over from veteran conservative Mariano Rajoy who was ousted on Friday over a corruption scandal.

One of Sanchez’ main challenges will be to try and find a way out of the crisis in the wealthy Catalonia region, where a new nationalist government was due to be sworn in on Saturday.

Sanchez was sworn in as Spanish prime minister before King Felipe, his right hand on the constitution — the first time that was not done with the Bible or a crucifix.

Sanchez became prime minister with only 84 seats for his Socialist Party in the 350-member assembly thanks to support from the hard-left Podemos and smaller nationalist parties.

He said he intends to steer the country through to mid-2020 when the parliamentary term ends.

But his majority - the smallest for a Spanish government since the return to democracy following Francisco Franco’s death in 1975, makes it unclear how long his administration can last.</s>Madrid (CNN) Pedro Sánchez was sworn in Saturday as Spain's Prime Minister, a day after ousting scandal-hit political rival Mariano Rajoy in a no-confidence vote.

Sánchez, who leads the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party, took the oath of office before King Felipe VI at the Zarzuela Palace near Madrid. He was the first Spanish Prime Minister to be sworn in without a Bible or crucifix, according to his party.

"I promise by my conscience and honor to faithfully fulfill the obligations of the office of President of the Government with loyalty to the King, and to keep and enforce the Constitution as the fundamental norm of the State," Sánchez said.

Rajoy was present at the ceremony, shook Sánchez's hand and wished him good luck.

Pedro Sánchez takes the oath of office Saturday at the Zarzuela Palace outside Madrid.

The 46-year-old politician faces significant challenges as he assumes office. Spain was riven last year by the Catalan independence crisis, which remains unresolved , and many Spaniards continue to feel the effects of the global economic crisis.

Sánchez -- a pro-European economics professor who was a keen basketball player in his youth -- previously said he would call for snap elections should he become Prime Minister.

Sánchez will work on his Cabinet this weekend, and it will be announced at some point next week, his party said.

His Socialists secured support for the no-confidence motion from a number of other parties in parliament, including the anti-austerity Podemos, Catalan pro-independence parties and the Basque Nationalist Party.

Since his own party holds only 84 seats in the 350-seat chamber, Sánchez will need to keep those parties, with their differing agendas, on his side in order to pass any legislation.

Catalonia's separatist President Quim Torra called Saturday for dialogue with Sánchez as members of the Catalan regional executive were sworn in in Barcelona, ending seven months of direct rule by Madrid.

"President Pedro Sánchez: Let's talk and let's meet," Torra said. "Let's take risks, from your side and our side. Let's sit at the same table and negotiate from government to government. This situation we are experiencing can't go on any longer."

Some of the Cabinet members wore yellow at their swearing-in ceremony to recall Catalan separatists who remain in prison or in self-imposed exile over their role in the independence bid. Among those is Carles Puigdemont , the former president of Catalonia, who is currently in Germany.

Posting Friday on Twitter, Sánchez promised a fresh start for the country. "Spain starts a new page. A period to recover the dignity of its institutions. From responsibility, dialogue and consensus, it is time to work for equality, to build a country that does not leave anyone behind," he said.

Rajoy had been in power since 2011 as the head of the Popular Party. On Friday, he became the first leader in Spain's modern democracy to lose a no-confidence vote in parliament.

Rajoy's party has been plagued with corruption allegations for years. Rajoy has faced the humiliation of testifying in cases against its members, though he has not been among the accused.

The confidence motion was filed by Sánchez after a court convicted Rajoy's former aides of running slush funds to help finance Popular Party election campaigns. The court also questioned the credibility of Rajoy's testimony during the proceedings.

It was the first time in Spain that a party had been convicted and fined on corruption-related charges.</s>Socialist Pedro Sánchez has been sworn in as the new prime minister of Spain, following the ousting of conservative Mariano Rajoy.

He took the oath alongside King Felipe VI in a brief ceremony in Madrid.</s>Sánchez, who leads the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE), took the oath of office before King Felipe VI at the Zarzuela Palace near Madrid. He chose not to swear on a bible.

The 46-year-old politician faces significant challenges as he assumes office. Spain was riven last year by the Catalan independence crisis, which remains unresolved , and many Spaniards continue to feel the effects of the global economic crisis.

Sánchez -- a pro-European economics professor who was a keen basketball player in his youth -- previously said that he would call for snap elections should he become Prime Minister.

Posting Friday on Twitter, Sánchez promised a fresh start for the country. "Spain starts a new page. A period to recover the dignity of its institutions. From responsibility, dialogue and consensus, it is time to work for equality, to build a country that does not leave anyone behind," he said.

Rajoy, of the Popular Party, on Friday became the first leader in Spain's modern democracy to lose a vote of no confidence in Parliament. His fate was sealed on Thursday after the Socialists secured support for the no-confidence motion from a number of smaller parties in Parliament, including the Basque Nationalist Party. The confidence motion was filed by Sánchez after a court convicted Rajoy's former aides of running slush funds to help finance Popular Party election campaigns. The court also questioned the credibility of Rajoy's testimony during the proceedings. It was the first time in Spain that a party had been convicted and fined on corruption-related charges.</s>MADRID (AP) — Pedro Sanchez was sworn in as Spain's prime minister Saturday, a day after the Socialist leader successfully ousted predecessor Mariano Rajoy who lost a no-confidence vote in parliament.

Rajoy was in attendance at the ceremony held in the royal Zarzuela Palace and shook Sanchez's hand after the new leader was sworn in by King Felipe VI before they posed for a photo with the monarch along with the speakers of the lower Congress of Deputies and the Senate.

Sanchez took an oath of loyalty to the King and to Spain's Constitution. He did so without swearing on the Bible or Crucifix, a first for a Spanish prime minister since the restoration of the democracy.

Sanchez toppled Rajoy following a court ruling in a major corruption case involving the conservative leader's Popular Party. Parliament voted 180-169 Friday to replace Rajoy's government with one led by Sanchez. One lawmaker abstained.

Spain is the eurozone's No. 4 economy and an influential member of the European Union. Sanchez and his party are staunch supporters of the EU and the shared currency.

Sanchez has vowed to fight corruption and help those Spaniards affected by years of public spending cuts under Rajoy's government. He also pledged to hold an election soon, while not setting a date.

Sanchez will lead a minority government and will need the support of both the far-left Podemos (We Can) party and the backing of a motley crew of regional parties and Catalan secessionists to get anything done in government.

Sanchez has pledged to open talks with the separatist leader of northeastern Catalonia, which is set to recover the large degree of self-rule after chief Quim Torra swears in his Cabinet later Saturday.

The forming of a Catalan government will automatically end the extraordinary takeover by Spain's central powers of the region as part of its crackdown following a failed declaration of independence by Catalonia in October.

The 46-year-old Sanchez is Spain's seventh prime minister since the return to democracy following the death of dictator Gen. Francisco Franco in 1975.</s>MADRID—Pedro Sanchez was sworn in as Spain’s prime minister Saturday, a day after the Socialist leader successfully ousted predecessor Mariano Rajoy, who lost a no-confidence vote in parliament. Rajoy was in attendance at the ceremony held in the royal Zarzuela Palace and shook Sanchez’s hand after the new leader was sworn in by King Felipe VI before they posed for a photo with the monarch along with the speakers of the lower Congress of Deputies and the Senate.

Sanchez took an oath of loyalty to the King and to Spain’s Constitution. He did so without swearing on the Bible or Crucifix, a first for a Spanish prime minister since the restoration of the democracy. Sanchez toppled Rajoy following a court ruling in a major corruption case involving the conservative leader’s Popular Party. Parliament voted 180-169 Friday to replace Rajoy’s government with one led by Sanchez. One lawmaker abstained. Spain is the eurozone’s fourth-largest economy and an influential member of the European Union. Sanchez and his party are staunch supporters of the EU and the shared currency.

Sanchez will lead a minority government and will need the support of both the far-left Podemos (We Can) party and the backing of a motley crew of regional parties and Catalan secessionists to get anything done in government. Sanchez has pledged to open talks with the separatist leader of northeastern Catalonia, which is set to recover the large degree of self-rule after chief Quim Torra swears in his Cabinet later Saturday.

Forming a Catalan government will automatically end the extraordinary takeover by Spain’s central powers of the region as part of its crackdown following a failed declaration of independence by Catalonia in October. Sanchez, 46, is Spain’s seventh prime minister since the return to democracy following the death of dictator Gen. Francisco Franco in 1975.
Pedro Sánchez, a member of the Spanish Socialist Party, is sworn in as Prime Minister before King Felipe VI. Sánchez opts to take the oath without a bible or crucifix; a first in modern Spanish history.