Shot at Pedro Sánchez in Spain: his budget has failed and the country is preparing for elections

MADRID.- The socialist government of

Pedro Sánchez

he suffered his worst parliamentary defeat with the failure of his draft general budget, which implies a major setback. It's a blow comparable to a loss of confidence. A difficult point of return for the
socialist government. The president will announce Friday when he is advancing the elections, the sources told the executive.

This is the next step. It is claimed by the main opposition parties: the right-wing popular party (PP) and the liberal citizens. They also demand elections "barons" and important referents of the ruling Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE).

After the defeat, the president left Congress in silence, amid growing uncertainty. It is he who must define if and when elections must be called.

There are three dates that are mentioned as possible participation at the polls. The next ones conjecture with a call as of the 14 or the 28 of April. In addition, on May 26, in the latter case, it is brewed, which coincides with the European and municipal elections, which would give rise to a "super Sunday" election.

Coup of Independents

It was the separatists, former partners of Sanchez, who defined the defeat of the Socialist with his vote against.

"We had no way out, we called for a commitment to dialogue and international mediation that President Sanchez does not seem willing to badume," said Sergi Sabriá, leader of the Republican Left Group in Catalonia. (ERC) in the Catalan Parliament.

Sanchez, who had offered to resist, tried until the last minute to avoid the sinking. Do not give the party for lost.

His phantom negotiator, José Luis Abalos, current secretary at the PSOE Organization, has come in and out of Congress during negotiations against the clock. But nothing else could do it. "Until the last moment, there is hope," said Finance Minister María Jesús Montero a few minutes ago.

"Do not give up," they shouted from the radical left of Podemos. The leader of this party, Pablo Iglesias, also failed in his attempts to become the "star negotiator" to break the rejection of the independence movement.

With the trial of twelve Catalan politicians on the move, the movement of independence exercised by the regional government of Catalonia was not willing to give these budgets.

Mr. Sanchez is the only president since the full restoration of democracy that came to power not as a result of general elections, but as a result of a motion of censure against his predecessor, the president of the country. right winger Mariano Rajoy.

His fragile government took office last June with only 84 deputies out of the 350 he has at the Congress of Deputies and exposed to permanent negotiations with the independence movement.

The last phase of this conversation – with the Catalan claim of an international mediator before the Spanish state – was finally blown up.

"They are the ones who got up from the table and left," said Joan Tardá of the Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC).

Unsatisfied promise

This is the second time in the history of

Spain

in which a government loses its agenda in the first vote. The same thing happened years ago to former President Felipe González, before the right-wing People's Party (PP).

Sanchez did not keep the promise with which he came to power to "call elections as soon as possible". "I will call elections as soon as possible," he said last May, before pronouncing the knockout against his predecessor.

Once in power, he changed his speech and maintained his desire to stay in Moncloa until June 2020.

Socialism did not hide the reproach from its previous partners of the separatists, who reacted as they could to the reproach of "blackmail".

"We do not call early elections, we want negotiations," said the president of the Catalan regional parliament, Roger Torrent, of the Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC).

Possible candidates for new elections

Pedro Sánchez (Spanish Socialist Workers Party)

• He came to power in June under the parliamentary censorship of his predecessor, Mariano Rajoy (PP); he did not keep the promise to hold elections at that time and is now facing an anticipated call, to which he could participate

Pablo Casado (People's Party)

• With the general election, he would face his first challenge as the party's national leader. wants "legality and agreement" with Catalonia and the promise to "never be in agreement" with "populists"

Albert Rivera (Citizens)

• Guarantees that the government of Sanchez "is bad" for Spain and that "you must throw it as soon as possible" from the Moncloa Palace, seat of executive power

Santiago Abascal (Vox)

• The far-right party, separated from the PP, has recently emerged as a potential player in the national scenario; the next generals would be his first test to reach the Congress of Deputies