Rajoy takes oath as Spain's PM

Spain's conservative leader Mariano Rajoy was sworn in yesterday for a second term as prime minister, bringing a close to 10 months of political limbo.

"I swear to faithfully fulfil the obligations of prime minister and to show loyalty to the king," Rajoy said with his hand on the Spanish constitution, at a ceremony attended by King Felipe VI and broadcast live on national television.

Rajoy, leader of the conservative Popular Party (PP), is set to spend the next three days forming a new cabinet for his hard-won minority government.

A senior party source said he was staying tight-lipped about his cabinet picks, planning to notify ministers of their new jobs "a half-hour before".

The comeback follows a victorious confidence vote in parliament on Saturday -- only possible because Spain's Socialists (PSOE) decided to abstain and not vote against him.

Still it is clear that Rajoy faces unprecedented opposition as Spain grapples with painful economic reforms and resurgent Catalan separatism.

When the PP ruled from 2011 to 2015, it enjoyed an absolute majority in parliament.