Spain’s Acting PM Pedro Sanchez Seeks Lower House Support to Form Progressive Government
Spain’s acting Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, has announced his intention to seek support from the lower house to form a new government following an inconclusive election on July 23. In a speech to lawmakers from his Socialist Party (PSOE), Sanchez stated that he would ask for parliament’s confidence to establish a progressive government. The PSOE won the second-highest number of seats in the general election but fell short of a majority.
Sanchez’s first step towards forming a new government is to secure the lower house speaker position, a task he aims to accomplish on Thursday. Both the PSOE and the conservative People’s Party (PP) have been negotiating with smaller parties to secure their votes in parliament and establish a government.
After assuming power in 2018, Sanchez has governed since early 2020 through a minority coalition with the far-left Podemos party. While he did not reveal his coalition partners on Wednesday, Sanchez previously stated his intention to ally with the far-left alliance, Sumar, which includes Podemos.
To win an investiture vote in the 350-seat parliament, Sanchez’s PSOE, along with Sumar, which has a total of 152 seats, will need the support of Catalan separatist parties Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC) and Junts. The ERC has indicated its willingness to reach an agreement, but Junts has held firm in its demands for a referendum on Catalan independence and amnesty for all separatists involved in the 2017 failed independence bid.
In a sign of appeasement towards the separatists, the Socialists have proposed Francina Armengol as the speaker of the lower house. Armengol previously served as the regional president of the Balearic Islands from 2015-2023 and governed in coalition with nationalist parties, including the local version of ERC. Whether Junts will back Armengol’s candidacy remains uncertain.
Although the People’s Party secured more seats than the Socialists in the election, it did not secure a majority and faces challenges in forming a government due to a lack of support. The party has failed to persuade the center-right Basque Nationalist Party (PNV) to back its investiture, despite the far-right Vox party indicating that it would not insist on being part of a right-wing coalition.
The PNV and Coalicion Canaria, which holds a single seat, had previously stated that they would not support a government that included the first far-right party since the dictatorship of Francisco Franco. The political landscape in Spain remains complex as various parties negotiate alliances and seek support to form a viable and effective government.
In conclusion, Pedro Sanchez, Spain’s acting Prime Minister, is actively seeking support from the lower house to form a progressive government. With negotiations underway and alliances being formed, Sanchez aims to establish a coalition that can navigate the intricate political landscape of Spain and address the challenges facing the country.
