Spain’s Vox party fails in government no-confidence motion

By JOSEPH WILSON
Associated Press

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Spain’s parliament has dismissed an attempt by the far-right Vox party to topple the governing leftist coalition. Lawmakers on Wednesday voted overwhelmingly against a no-confidence motion brought against Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s government. The motion failed on a 201-53 vote, while the 91 members of the conservative Popular Party abstained. Vox had proposed 89-year-old economist Ramón Tamames as an independent candidate for prime minister. He promised to call an immediate election if he were chosen to replace Sánchez. Tamames presented himself and Vox as protectors of the unity of Spain against Catalan separatist parties that Sánchez has relied on to win important votes in parliament.