Uncertainty continues after the elections in Spain: The new government depends on the decision of the separatists

At the end of the early general elections held in Spain on Sunday, July 23, no political party or bloc of the left or right obtained a parliamentary majority.

According to the political cadre formed in the country at the end of the elections, the possibility of forming a government depended on the decisions of the Basque and Catalan separatist parties.

In the distribution of 350 seats in parliament, the left-wing bloc in power with the minority coalition government in the current situation obtained 153 deputies, while the right-wing opposition bloc obtained 169 deputies.

Although the main opposition People’s Party (PP) increased the number of seats by 47 to 136 compared to the last elections in December 2019, it fell far behind the 176 needed for a parliamentary majority.

The number of deputies for the far-right Vox, which appears to be the only party that supports the PP, also dropped from 52 to 33.

The left bloc, which has been running the country with a minority government for the last three and a half years, kept the number of deputies at 153 and failed to win a parliamentary majority again.

Despite this, the places where the celebration of the electoral results was most enthusiastic were the buildings of the left-wing Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE) and Sumar.

“RIGHT BLOCK FAILED”

The President of the Government and leader of the PSOE, Pedro Sánchez, who gave a speech on the balcony under the shouts of “They will not pass”, the anti-fascist slogan used by sympathizers and communists in the Spanish Civil War, said: “The message of the Spaniards at the polls was very clear. The right bloc, which planned to cancel all our reforms and take back the country, failed. “There are more people who want Spain to get ahead and that will continue to be the case,” he said.

As an alternative to Unidas Podemos, which represents the extreme left in Spain, the leader of the Sumar party, recently formed from the alliance of more than 10 left-wing parties and which won 31 deputies in the elections in which it participated for the first time, said: “I think people will sleep easier tonight. Because democracy won. We have guaranteed democracy and we have won the elections,” he said.

FEIJOO: THE PERIOD OF UNCERTAINTY SHOULD NOT START

On the other hand, the leader of the PP, Alberto Núñez Feijoo, addressing his supporters gathered in front of the central building in Madrid, said: “Never in the history of Spain has a leader who lost the elections formed a government. The period of uncertainty should not begin in Spain. As the leader of the party that won the elections, my obligation and my democratic demand is to open the door of dialogue to form a government.

Noting that the PP won the general elections after 7 years, emerged as the first party in 40 of the 52 provinces of Spain, captured the majority in the Senate, increased the number of deputies by 47 and the number of those who voted for his party by 3 million compared to the last elections in 2019, Feijoo called on all political parties in parliament, especially the PSOE, not to block the PP to give confidence to foreign investors, protect country security and impede politics. uncertainties

Feijoo has also said that as soon as parliament opens, his first proposal would be to present a proposal to avoid holding general elections in Spain in July and August, when there is an urgent need, never again, when it is very hot.

EXPLANATION FROM THE FAR RIGHT

The leader of the Vox party, Santiago Abascal, who gave a blank check to the PP to form a government, argued that Feijoo should become the new president of the Government, since the first party won the elections.

“There is a very bad outlook for the Spanish,” Abascal said. He too, Pedro Sánchez, can continue in power with the support of the communists, the separatists and terrorism”.

THE UNITED FOR CATALONIA PARTY IS IN A KEY POSITION

Based on the current results, it appears that the separatist parties operating in the Basque Country and Catalonia, which were harshly criticized by the right-wing bloc during the electoral campaign and even threatened to be shut down by Vox, are abstaining and returning the government to the left-wing bloc.

The Union for Catalonia (JxCAT) party, which the left bloc did not receive support after the 2019 elections, now occupies a key position.

After the separatist attempts in Catalonia, JxCAT, of which Carles Puigdemont, the former head of the autonomous government of Catalonia, who escaped from Spanish justice and became an MEP in Brussels, was one of the leaders, said in his assessment of the electoral results that “we are not going to give unconditional support to Sánchez”.

THERE MAY BE NEW ELECTIONS AT THE END OF THE YEAR

Following the official results of the elections on August 8, as established by law, the deputies and senators elected in Spain will receive their mandates and the parliament and senate will be inaugurated on August 17.
As Head of State, King Felipe VI will give the task of forming a government to someone after accepting one by one the leaders of the political parties in parliament.

The first vote of confidence in parliament for the formation of a government will be in early September. If the government does not receive a vote of confidence, it will wait a maximum of two months before a second attempt is made.

If this is not successful, parliament will be dissolved in November and re-election will take place at the end of the year.

In the current political landscape in Spain, a new election does not interest any political party except the right-wing bloc. Therefore, the only possibility seems to be that PSOE and Sumar, which is the first coalition government in the democratic history of the country, convince the separatist Basque and Catalan political parties and form a coalition government with a parliamentary minority for 4 more years. (AA)