Page calls for general elections in response to the "intolerable" funding proposal

MadridThe PP already announced its Opposition to the new financing model before hearing the specifics of the proposal And this was confirmed after the appearance of the First Vice President and Minister of Finance, María Jesús Montero, this Friday. They weren't the only ones. One of the most outspoken regional presidents has been the Socialist Emiliano García-Page (Castilla-La Mancha), a frequent critic of Pedro Sánchez, who joined the chorus of criticism, calling for general elections in the face of the Spanish government's "intolerable" proposal. Alberto Núñez Feijóo's party, which governs in most of the autonomous communities, maintains that this is a proposal that favors those who negotiated it bilaterally, namely Catalan separatism, to the detriment of the rest of the country. "It is governed by the principles of inequality and a lack of solidarity," lamented the Popular Party leader Elías Bendodo in a speech from A Coruña. In his opinion, Montero's press conference was "the litmus test" to confirm that the proposed reform is "unequal and wrong." "It's the same old story: first-class separatists and second-class citizens," summarized the PP's Deputy Secretary of Finance, Juan Bravo, in a message to X. Several autonomous communities governed by the PP, such as Madrid, Aragon, and Castile and León, have already opened the door to legal action should the new model be approved.

For the Popular Party (PP), a system negotiated bilaterally with Catalan separatism "cannot be good for the rest of Spain." "It's flawed from the start," stated Bendodo, who argued that it should have been done "the other way around." "You announce a new model when you reach a consensus with the autonomous communities in a Fiscal and Financial Policy Council (CPFF). You don't bring [the Treasury will convene this forum next Wednesday] what you've already agreed to with Catalan separatism," criticized the PP's Deputy Secretary for Regional Policy. Furthermore, guaranteeing ordinality for Catalonia means that "those who have more will continue to have more, and those who have less will continue to be poor," the PP maintains, who see the new system as inherently flawed despite increasing resources for all communities by 21 billion euros. The autonomous communities governed by the PP have also positioned themselves against it, in line with the party's national headquarters in Madrid. "The Community of Madrid will not allow this under any circumstances," warned the Minister of Economy for Isabel Díaz Ayuso's government, one of the most belligerent, as usual. Speaking to the media, Rocío Albert denounced that "the people of Madrid are being harmed" because they will have to "contribute more resources to finance this whole separatist charade." Albert stated that they will use "all legal resources" to prevent this reform from being implemented. The Andalusian president, Juanma Moreno, also warned that he will not accept the ordinal system and opined that the proposal responds more to "electoral" interests than to a desire to find solutions.

Rejection beyond the PP

Criticism of the new funding has not come solely from the ranks of the People's Party. García-Page lamented that it constitutes "political suicide for the left." "It is a painful day," he asserted. The president of Castilla-La Mancha called for general elections against Sánchez, whom he believes is acting out of "personal interest," and argued that all citizens should be able to express their opinion on this "outrage." Before "the separatists decide, I prefer that the Spanish people speak," he said. Sánchez's parliamentary partners, such as the Galician Nationalist Bloc (BNG), also expressed their rejection of the reform. The Galician nationalists view the proposal as "centralist," "unfair," and "unbalanced for Galicia." "It does not resolve the historical deficit or the underfunding that Galicia suffers," and "it reduces the factors that most increase the cost of providing public services in Galicia," such as aging and population dispersion, they lamented in a statement. The Galician Nationalist Bloc (BNG) is staunchly opposed and doesn't see the proposal as "even a starting point." Compromís, another of Sánchez's parliamentary ally, wasn't as forceful, although it did state that it considers the proposal for the Valencian Community "insufficient." "It narrows the gap between the best and worst funded regions, but what's needed is to eliminate it," argued the party's congresswoman, Àgueda Micó. Podemos's stance in Andalusia and Extremadura also suggests further complications for Sánchez in passing the new model in the lower house. The leaders of the purple party in both regions rejected applying the principle of ordinality. The Aragonese Union (CHA), part of the Sumar group in Congress, also received the Finance Ministry's proposal with skepticism and announced its intention to vote against it if the "unique circumstances" of Aragon are not taken into account.