Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy was ousted on Friday in a no-confidence vote following corruption charges against his party. He was replaced with Socialist arch-rival Pedro Sanchez, who automatically took over office. An absolute majority of 180 lawmakers voted for the motion to loud applause and shouts of "Yes we can," converting Rajoy into the first prime minister to be ousted by such a vote since Spain transitioned to democracy in 1977. The bespectacled 63-year-old leader got up and shook hands with Sanchez before leaving the lower house without a word. Rajoy had already admitted defeat minutes before the vote, knowing that an absolute majority of lawmakers as diverse as Catalan separatists and Basque nationalists had pledged their support for the no-confidence motion. "Its been an honor -- there is none bigger -- to have been Spains prime minister," he told parliament, with lawmakers from his conservative Popular Party (PP) giving him a standing ovation. Sanchez, Spains 46-year-old opposition leader, had instigated the no-confidence motion last week after a court revealed details of a vast system of bribes given to former PP officials in exchange for lucrative public contracts between 1999-2005. After years of anger over the scandals tainting the PP, corruption finally got the better of the party and sealed Rajoys downfall. "Today we are signing a new page in the history of democracy in our country," Sanchez told parliament prior to the vote. But PP lawmaker Rafael Hernando told him he would be entering the prime ministers office "through the back door" after failing to win 2015 and 2016 general elections. "For the first time we may get a prime minister who didnt win elections," he retorted. In order to push through the no-confidence motion, the Socialists, who hold just 84 of the parliaments 350 seats, had to cozy up to parties they had previously clashed with, like Catalan separatists and the anti-establishment Podemos. As such, even if he has pledged to govern long enough to restore "institutional stability" before calling early elections, Sanchezs new government will likely be highly unstable. Podemos has already asked to be part of his new government. The center-right Ciudadanos (Citizens) party vowed fierce opposition to the incoming minority government, urging Sanchez to call an early general election. Ciudadanos leader Albert Rivera said the change of government "is not good news for Spain." Referring to Rajoys outgoing government, Rivera told reporters on Friday that "we had to censure this government, but not in this way." Although Rajoy survived a similar no-confidence vote last year, Fridays ballot draws a line under his rollercoaster time in office which began in 2011 and saw him implementing drastic spending cuts before winning re-election in 2015 and 2016. Despite winning the last two votes, he lacked the absolute majority of his first term. He put Spain back onto the path of growth after a devastating economic crisis although unemployment remains sky-high, jobs precarious and many complain inequalities have risen. But his term in office was also marred by a series of corruption scandals involving former PP members. Last week the National Court, which deals with major criminal cases, sentenced 29 people with links to the PP, including a former treasurer, to a total of 351 years in jail. It also ordered the party to pay back 245,000 euros ($290,000) received from the scheme to help finance election campaigns. Rajoy became Spains first sitting prime minister to give evidence at trial when he was called as a witness last year. In its ruling, the court said the credibility of Rajoys testimony "should be questioned".