To make Pedro Sánchez fall: Junts' dilemma

BarcelonaHas the legislature reached its end in Spain? In Junts, they are convinced that the PSOE government has no more room to maneuver and that elections should be called, but Pedro Sánchez seems willing to hold on, and the opposition only has one way to force him to leave Moncloa: a motion of no confidence with the help of PP and Vox, which Junts is not willing to explore. This is the dilemma being experienced today within Junts, clearly expressed under the leadership of the leader in Congress, Miriam Nogueras.

Nogueras defended on TVE that they do not expect "anything else than President Sánchez calling elections"According to sources, there is no alternative to continuing as before, that is, to distance themselves from the government majority without approaching the Spanish right. Some internal voices, however, do not completely close the door to the motion of no confidence, although the political position against it remains unaltered, at this time, and a change would mean an internal upheaval. Nevertheless, it is no coincidence that this Friday Nogueras defended on TVE that they expect "nothing more than President Sánchez calling elections" and that the PSOE entered government "because the previous one was corrupt, and it seems that the history of Spain consists of corrupt governments entering and leaving." In April, she had already called for elections due to the lack of parliamentary majority and the legislature's future.

'Lawfare'

According to other sources, socialist scandals are causing a lot of debate and "there are people who say it is a shame," but the motion is a step that goes much further. "They have been caught," "There are things that may only be ethically very ugly and some criminal" or "They have found things on them," are some of the reflections that proliferate within Junts. What seems certain is that they will continue to raise their tone against Sánchez and also against the government of Salvador Illa. They have already requested, in fact, the appearance of the President of the Generalitat to explain the contracts with Huawei –one of the companies splashed by the Zapatero case– and for the suspicions of the National Court about the financing of the PSC's campaign for the 2024 elections.

The break with the PSOE is deep and is experienced intensely due to a feeling of "deception," of not having fulfilled the bulk of the political commitments – not even de facto amnesty, yet–. But not only that, because within Junts there are also those who remember how they suffered personally "the sewer system" that they say has operated within the socialists, not only in the Volhov and Tsunami cases, but also in many other moments. "Let them scald themselves with the sauce they themselves have fostered," some Junts members assure. This ties in with another line of internal thought that predicts that a state crisis could mean "a boost" for independence.

Blocked paths with the PSOE?

The feeling of "betrayal" in Junts leads various voices to consider that "there is no possibility" of an understanding with the PSOE in the future. In fact, "Puigdemont and many people in Junts" are "convinced that the PSOE has tried to take advantage of the amnesty to domesticate separatism," explain some sources. Despite this, some point out that the relationship with the socialists will depend exclusively on the role the PSOE adopts from now on, if it "wants to comply with the acquired commitments" – immigration powers, Catalan in Europe, total amnesty... – and in the future to collect in advance broader concessions. But the polls are what they are, and preparing for the hostile future of the PP and Vox is increasingly a reality. "Resisting from a void, I don't know if it's possible," remarks one source, while another points out that "this pressure is difficult to maintain".

Now Junts is "raising its voice," although the Huawei contracts issue was put on the table "some time ago," and a barrage of questions was launched, in Parliament and Congress, as publicly recalled by deputy Josep Pagès. "We should still push harder," says a Junts member. So far, they have been very "cautious," they assure internally, because Junts members are aware of the legal war that separatism has suffered. For example, they did not make a fuss about Santos Cerdán's indictment, nor did they fully do so with Zapatero's, precisely the two people with whom Carles Puigdemont had established a stable relationship. It has been more the PSOE's inability to reach and fulfill agreements that has made Junts members walk away from the table.