"Without Sumar there is no government": a (symbolic) revolt to the left of the PSOE

BarcelonaThe ministers from the Sumar coalition refused to begin the meeting until their demands were met: essentially, the inclusion of rental contract extensions in the measures to address the war in Iran. Their two-hour walkout before Friday's cabinet meeting was resolved with the enactment of two decrees, not just one as the PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party) had intended, to include tax cuts for the most affected sectors. Sumar touted this resolution on Saturday, taking a swipe at their socialist partners. "Without Sumar, there is no government," the movement's coordinator, Lara Hernández, reiterated in a statement without taking questions. A threat to the socialists? The party, still led by Yolanda Díaz, has no intention of leaving the government or jeopardizing the coalition in the face of a potential PP (People's Party)-Vox majority. In fact, Hernández herself emphasized that it is precisely the influence Sumar can wield that makes "being in government worthwhile."

The small victory for the coalition's minority party will likely remain largely symbolic, as the PP, Vox, and Junts have all expressed opposition to the measures included in the second decree, which Pedro Sánchez accepted as a way to protect the government's image. On Friday, the Spanish Prime Minister simply dismissed reports about the absence of the five Sumar ministers as a "swamp" and defended the two decrees as important. "Without Sumar, what we have are tax cuts, policies favoring property owners, handouts to Repsol, and shifts to the right," Hernández criticized on Saturday, although the party is not expected to refuse to ratify the measures when the time comes to vote on them in Congress. This unlikely scenario would, however, generate an unprecedented internal crisis, even if the decree were to pass with the PP's votes.

Since its publication this Saturday morning in the Official State Gazette (BOE), the extension of rental contracts is once again in effect. This extension had been repeatedly thwarted in recent months due to opposition from right-wing parties in Congress each time the social safety net had to be ratified. "More than one and a half million households" have begun to benefit, Hernández pointed out, pledging to work to convince the parties that currently reject the measure. Antonio Maíllo, federal coordinator of United Left—one of the parties that make up the Sumar coalition—insisted on the need to exert political pressure on those who oppose this decree: "We have to make those who want to sabotage this decree sweat."

The extension of rental agreements

The housing decree published this Saturday in the Official State Gazette (BOE) establishes two requirements regarding rental contracts. First, it freezes those expiring before December 31, 2027, and second, it sets a maximum increase of 2% for annual rent adjustments in the event of a disagreement with the landlord. The extension will have a maximum duration of two years, according to the decree, although it must be ratified by Congress within a month and does not have a guaranteed majority to pass. During these two years, the landlord would be obligated to respect the established conditions unless they need to reclaim the property under the circumstances stipulated by law.