One of the consequences of having state general budgets extended since 2023 is that the Spanish government is forced to approve extraordinary credit operations or debt limit extensions so that state-owned companies can continue to invest. This Thursday, Congress precisely rejected a royal decree on transfers to public business sector entities that contemplated investments in Renfe and State ports, but also for Maritime Rescue or ICEX. PP, Vox and Junts voted against the royal decree which, among other things, allowed Renfe to increase its debt limit by 671.1 million euros for the year 2026 and thus buy new trains. However, the Spanish government downplays the defeat. Sources from the Ministry of Transport assure that the rejection of the decree "does not affect" the management of these companies. "The transfers had already been made during the period in which the royal decree was in force and will have no impact", assure the same sources, who call the vote against a "tantrum". "It is a tantrum with political effects, but it does not affect government action", indicate the same sources, reports Núria Rius Montaner.
The Congress approves with the votes of PP, Vox and Junts that Sánchez resign or submit to a vote of confidence
Shouts of resignation from the right-wing bench which PSOE deputies respond to with applause for the Spanish president
MadridThe Congress approved this Thursday, with the votes of PP, Vox, and Junts, that the Spanish president, Pedro Sánchez, resign or submit to a vote of confidence. After the vote, the right-wing bench rightly shouted "resignation" while the socialist deputies responded with applause to Sánchez, who left the hemicycle with an immutable smile. This is a symbolic vote, as Sánchez has no intention of making any move, but politically the alliance of Junts with the right to put pressure on the Spanish government is relevant. The gesture comes after yesterday Míriam Nogueras asked Pedro Sánchez to step aside and make way for another candidate for the presidency of the Spanish government.
In fact, the vote of confidence is one of the requests that Junts had made a year ago, when it demanded that the Spanish president submit to it if he did not comply with the investiture agreements. The group finally withdrew it in exchange for agreeing with the socialists on an international mediator to intervene in the negotiations. A year later, the Junts deputies voted in favor of the PP's motion that called for this vote of confidence, but also for the resignation of Pedro Sánchez in light of the judicial cases surrounding the PSOE. The original text also included the request to call early elections, but the Congress's board – with the votes of PSOE and Sumar – vetoed this part, which could not be put to a vote.
Although the PP continues to maintain that it will not present a motion of no confidence, the instrument that could really force Sánchez's fall, Alberto Núñez Feijóo has claimed that this Thursday's vote is "decisive" and proclaimed that it "will go down in the history of Spanish parliamentarism". "From today, the president is acting against the absolute majority of Congress," he argued in statements in the corridors of the lower house. The leader of the PP said that he "takes good note" of the result of the vote promoted by his party, although he refused to anticipate events or future alliances with Junts. From the PP, they see Carles Puigdemont's party as unpredictable, because this Wednesday they avoided voting with them in the Senate on an initiative to request early elections, which the Junts deputies have been demanding for weeks.
"Zero" political effect
This is why the Popular Party insists that, despite Thursday's vote, they will not register a no-confidence motion until they have guaranteed votes for it. "We will see what it consolidates into," said Feijóo, who believes that the Junts members must be the ones to let him know if they are willing to move from symbolism to real action against Sánchez. Precisely this scenario leads sources from the Spanish government to argue that the PP's motion, approved with the votes of Junts and Vox, has "zero" political effect. The same sources argue that they have managed to push through other votes in the same plenary session.
Specifically, with Junts' votes in favor or abstention, the socialists have approved the bill that criminally punishes conversion therapies for LGBTI+ people, a transfer of ownership and powers of the AP-9 highway to Galicia, as well as the decree that subsidizes transport for young people during the summer. Therefore, for now, this further step by Junts in criticizing the Spanish government maintains the same scenario of continuity for a legislature with an uncertain end, but which, for the moment, does not seem imminent.