How Spain’s socialist leader is winning over reluctant voters

Spaniards didn’t ask for their new prime minister, but it seems that they’re starting to like him. The most recent polls reveal that Pedro Sánchez’s Socialists, who now make up Spain’s minority government, are the most popular party in the country. Less than a month ago, the PSOE slumbered in third place, behind the then-ruling Conservative Popular Party (PP) and centrist Ciudadanos. The Socialists have leapt two places up the rankings, even though their seizure of power was seen as illegitimate by many Spaniards. What’s gone so right for Spain’s Socialists?  

Sánchez’s surge in popularity can perhaps be partly explained by the diversity of his cabinet; made up of eleven women and six men, it’s the first majority-female government in Spain’s post-Franco democracy and a welcome change for many from Spain’s traditionally male-dominated politics. Sánchez’s colourful line up of professionals, including a lawyer, a journalist and an astronaut, as well as several pro-EU heavyweights, is also something of a breath of fresh air from career politicians.