Together announces a veto of around fifty laws from the PSOE and Sumar parties

MadridTogether for Change (Juntos) has announced a veto of approximately fifty bills proposed by the Socialist Party (PSOE) and Sumar in Congress. The spokesperson for the Together for Change coalition in the lower house, Míriam Nogueras, explained that they have submitted amendments to the entirety of "each and every one" of the bills presented by the parties forming the Spanish government, totaling 25, and that they will not vote in favor of another 21 bills that are currently in the final stages of the legislative process. In a press conference, Nogueras warned the Spanish Prime Minister that, if he does not take action, he faces a complete parliamentary deadlock. "Pedro Sánchez will not be able to approve the budget, the spending cap, or the Bolaños or Begoña laws. He has therefore lost his legislative power. This is a wake-up call for Sumar and the PSOE," she emphasized. Nogueras then passed the question of what the future of the legislature should be if this deadlock is not reversed to the Socialist leader. "The question is what Sánchez's government will do now, whether it will fulfill its commitments to the Catalans," the Junts spokesperson in Congress stated. It is the PSOE, she insisted, that "must decide if it wants to remain in power without being able to govern." Are there any options for resolving the situation? "If they haven't honored the agreements in two years, I doubt they will now," Nogueras opined, who, however, did not call for elections, arguing that it is a decision that must be made by the Spanish government, not Junts. Sources at La Moncloa reacted with the same message they sent last Monday when Carles Puigdemont announced from Perpignan that the party he leads was breaking with the PSOE.

"An open hand, always. The government remains open to dialogue with all parliamentary groups," the Spanish government stated. Sánchez's inner circle insists that the government "is fulfilling its commitments" and is working to finalize the remaining ones. At the press conference, Nogueras criticized this attitude of "pretending nothing is wrong" and reproached Sánchez for not appearing to "explain how he intends to govern without the necessary majority." Juntos por el Cambio (Together for Change) has justified its further action of declaring a complete break with the government by registering these amendments in their entirety, citing this inaction. The members of the Junts per Catalunya (Junts per Catalunya) have emphasized that, from now on, there will be no more dialogue, collaboration, or negotiation with the Socialists.

A motion of no confidence?

Alberto Núñez Feijóo seized upon Junts' announcement to capitalize on the Spanish government's parliamentary deadlock, in a week when the PP leader is facing his own crisis over his handling of Carlos Mazón's resignation. "What was this about the most stable government in Europe?" he quipped, alluding to one of the arguments Sánchez has used to defend himself against criticism regarding the instability of his support in Congress. The Spanish president countered previous attacks by comparing his more than seven uninterrupted years in Moncloa with the situation in countries like France, which has had five prime ministers in two years.

Could Junts' announcement this Thursday bring a no-confidence motion with the PP closer? For the moment, the Popular Party isn't budging. Junts hasn't positioned itself on this scenario either. "If the PSOE fails its subjects, the PP repeats the year," Nogueras remarked regarding the possibility of a pact with Feijóo's party.

Laws on a Tightrope

Junts' amendments affect nearly fifty executive bills already registered in Congress, as well as those that will be submitted in the future. "The nine bills that have already passed the Council of Ministers will also face amendments in their entirety when they arrive," Nogueras warned. The Spanish government will also be unable to count on the Yeah From Juntos to regulations that haven't even been implemented, such as the national budget. Also hanging by a thread are important laws for the Spanish government, such as the one promoted by the Minister of Justice, Félix Bolaños, which leaves criminal investigations in the hands of prosecutors and limits private prosecutions by excluding political parties, or the law on preventing alcohol consumption among minors. The party, specifically, has published the following list:

Five initiatives are excluded from the veto. The customer service law, the social economy law, the film law, and the sustainable mobility law are spared because Junts had reached written agreements with the Spanish government in exchange for their approval. Sources within Junts indicate that they will not break these agreements, given that their criticism of the PSOE is precisely its failure to honor signed agreements. Furthermore, Junts will also support in the decree on aid to ALS patients which must be voted on in Congress in the coming weeks.