Spain's socialist opposition leader Pedro Sanchez sits at the start of the second day of a motion of no confidence session at the Spanish parliament in Madrid, Friday, June 1, 2018.Spain's conservative government appears doom...

MADRID (AP) - Socialist leader Pedro Sanchez will become Spain's new prime minister after a no-confidence vote Friday in parliament unseated Mariano Rajoy's conservative government. Sanchez appeared to have secured 180 votes to become prime minister, more than the absolute majority of 176 votes he would need to take power immediately if the no-confidence vote is held on Friday as scheduled. The Basque party backed Rajoy's budget as recently as last week in parliament but is considering removing its support following a court ruling that sentenced dozens of people linked to the ruling People's Party (PP) to decades in prison in a long-running corruption trial. Sánchez managed to assemble an unlikely coalition — labeled “Frankenstein” by rivals — with the far-left Podemos, two Catalan pro-independence groups and a Basque nationalist party, all of who had refused to endorse the Socialist for the premiership in the past. Mr Sanchez, who is expected to be sworn in by Monday and appoint his cabinet next week, has promised to start talks with the Catalans but said he will not give them an independence referendum.
The debate on a motion of no confidence against Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's government takes place at the Congress of Deputies, with a vote scheduled tomorrow. With an expected 180 votes against 176 needed, leader of the Opposition, socialist Pedro Sánchez, could immediately become the next Prime Minister.