He’s back: Spain’s Mariano Rajoy, the political survivor who wore his rivals down

Spain’s parliament voted conservative Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy back into power, ending a rollercoaster, 10-month political crisis despite bitter opposition and lingering divisions

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Mariano Rajoy gives a thumb up after being elected prime minister. Photo: EPA

Published: 12:52pm, 30 Oct 2016Updated: 8:26pm, 30 Oct 2016

Spain’s conservative Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has won back power at the age of 61, after a war of attrition against younger rivals who underestimated his resistance after 35 years in politics.

Just like in 2005 when he emerged from a helicopter crash with just a broken finger, Rajoy survived an unprecedented political crisis that left Spain without a fully-functioning government for 10 months.

In power since 2011, his Popular Party (PP) lost its absolute majority in inconclusive December 2015 elections even though it came first. Since then Rajoy had headed up a caretaker government as no party managed to form a viable coalition.

He made use of that time to vaunt Spain’s return to growth under his watch, after the country came close to economic collapse, and warned against a return to power for the Socialists, whom he links to the crisis’ darkest days.

Spain’s Mariano Rajoy (R) acknowledges the applauses after being elected prime minister. Photo: EPA

During his 2011-2015 mandate, Rajoy was nicknamed “the plasma prime minister” after he conducted press conferences via video screen to avoid sensitive questions on issues such as the corruption afflicting his party.