Sanchez's supporters shouted out ‘yes we can’ after he was declared the country’s new leader and shook hands with right-wing Rajoy
MARIANO Rajoy has been ousted as Spain's prime minister after a vote of no-confidence today.
The great survivor of Spanish politics is replaced by Jeremy Corbyn's socialist pal Pedro Sanchez.
Sanchez, 46, replaced right-wing Rajoy, 63, after 180 MPs voted in favour of the no-confidence motion and 169 against.
There was one abstention.
The motion was tabled by Sanchez after Rajoy’s People’s Party was shamed in a massive corruption scandal.
Sanchez met Corbyn in London last month.
The Labour leader tweeted a pic of the pair together alongside shadow foreign secretary Thornberry.
Corbyn wrote: "Today I was delighted to meet Pedro Sánchez of @PSOE and former Brazilian president, Dilma Rousseff.
"We spoke about the way ahead for progressive and socialist politics in Europe and Latin America."
PP leader Rajoy becomes the first Spanish premier to lose a no-confidence vote since the country’s transition to democracy after the death of dictator Francisco Franco in 1975.
JEREMY Corbyn will finally have one socialist friend in power in Europe today after his friend Pedro Sanchez forced the Spanish Prime Minister out.
The 46-year-old leader of the main opposition Spanish Socialist Workers' Party made history today by booting out Mariano Rajoy, who lost a vote of no confidence.
The married dad-of-two met with the Labour boss and Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry in Westminster just last month.
Mr Corbyn tweeted, posting snaps of his meeting with the photogenic hard leftie: "Today I was delighted to meet Pedro Sanchez and former Brazilian president, Dilma Rousseff.
"We spoke about the way ahead for progressive and socialist politics in Europe at Latin America.".
The former economics professor was in Britain for a conference at the London School of Economics, and for a lecture at Oxford University on the rise of populism politics across the West, and the crisis in Catalonia.
He wants to offer constitutional reform to the area, but won't go so far as supporting independence, promising to keep Spain united in spite of recent mass protests.
And he also met with former Prime Minister Gordon Brown while in town too.
His appointment comes just four years after he returned to the Spanish Parliament - he was kicked out in 2011 after a five-year stint as an MP.
After a brief spell in academia to finish his doctorate in economics, he decided to return to politics, and was elected leader of his party in 2014 before being kicked out over his refusal to back the Rajoy government.
Insiders put him back in the post only last year.
Sanchez also served as chief of staff to the UN high representative to Bosnia and is a passionate basketball fan and player.
Shortly before the vote, Rajoy told MPs: "It has been an honour to be the prime minister of Spain.
"It has been an honour to leave a better Spain than the one I found.
";I hope that my successor will be able to say the same when his time comes.
“My thanks to the Spanish people for lending me their support and understanding.
"And good luck to everyone for the good of Spain.”
New general elections are expected to take place within the next year.
Rajoy served as prime minister for seven years and weathered a string of corruption scandals within his People's party.
He's been ousted after the Basque National Party joined the anti-austerity Podemos party and the two largest Catalan pro-independence parties to back the PSEO.
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