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Spain’s parliament backs new left-wing government in vote Spain’s parliament backs new left-wing government in vote
(about 1 hour later)
MADRID — After nearly a year without a government, Spain ended its deadlock on Tuesday with a parliamentary vote that approved a left-wing coalition led by current caretaker Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. MADRID — After nearly a year without a government, Spain broke its deadlock on Tuesday with a parliamentary vote that narrowly approved a left-wing coalition led by current caretaker Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.
The vote, passing by the narrowest of margins, opens the way for a government composed of the country’s traditional left-wing party, the Socialists, and its erstwhile foe, far-left Unidas Podemos. It vaults the left fully back into power in Spain at a time when other mainstream pro-European parties across the continent have struggled to combat populism or overcome disenchantment with the political status quo. The vote allows for Sánchez’s Socialists, the country’s traditional left-wing party, to form a government with their erstwhile antagonist, far-left Unidas Podemos. It also vaults the left fully back into power in Spain at a time when other mainstream parties across the continent have struggled to combat populism or overcome disenchantment with the political status quo.
But while the parliamentary vote restores a measure of clarity to Europe’s fifth-largest economy, the new government will probably be fragile. It will control a minority of seats in parliament and depend on support from a constellation of smaller parties while dealing with budget issues and the Catalonia region’s divisive bid for independence, Spain’s most significant crisis in decades. But while the parliamentary vote restores a measure of clarity in a country that has become emblematic of fragmented, multi-party politics, the new government will be fragile. It will control a minority of seats in parliament and depend on support from a constellation of smaller parties while dealing with the country’s most significant crisis in decades, Catalonia’s battle for independence.
Most controversially, the left’s path to power hinged on a Catalan separatist party, which abided by a pledge to abstain in Tuesday’s vote. The procedure Tuesday requires only the “Yes” votes to outnumber the “No” votes, so abstentions can help launch a minority government into power. In the 350-seat parliament, 167 members voted in favor of the government and 165 voted against, with 18 abstaining. “A country without a government is a country without the tools to face the future,” Sánchez said Tuesday, making a final case to parliament to gain its backing.
Spain’s conservative parties, including far-right Vox, have criticized Sánchez for bargaining with the Catalan separatists, who want their prosperous region in the northeast to break away from the rest of the country. Sánchez has pledged to reopen talks with the Catalans while saying that “Spain is not going to fracture.” The debate Tuesday offered a vivid picture of the bargaining that brought the government about. The left’s path to power hinged on a Catalan separatist party that had pledged, crucially, to abstain in Tuesday’s vote. Right-leaning politicians castigated Sánchez for his outreach to those separatists, accusing him of abandoning the country’s interests in a bid for power. When separatist Catalan politician Montserrat Bassa took her turn to speak, she said with barely disguised contempt that she “couldn’t care less” about the central government in Madrid, but that her party would help Sánchez nonetheless.
Media projections indicate that Sánchez’s new government will receive 167 votes in support, with 165 in opposition and 18 parliamentarians abstaining. Sánchez, as part of his pre-vote negotiations, has pledged to reopen talks with the Catalans while saying that “Spain is not going to fracture.”
Ahead of elections in Spain, Catalan independence again dominatesAhead of elections in Spain, Catalan independence again dominates
After securing the pledge of the Catalan separatist ERC party last week, the Socialists emphasized that they were not greenlighting an official referendum on independence. Though some pro-independence Catalans might view the ERC as traitors for dealing with the government, ERC is trying to position itself as a party moving ahead with negotiations after other efforts to spark independence have failed and drawn fierce pushback from Madrid.
“It’s clear that the unilateral route toward independence failed,” said Carlos Barrera, a politics professor at the University of Navarra. “So they are now looking to go toward the negotiated route and see how much they can get from a weak government. ERC is now personifying that route with this gamble. If the negotiation fails, at least ERC can say they tried. And if it succeeds, they can claim victory.”
Spain has had four general elections in just over four years, a period of instability that has come as upstart parties have tried to break up the nation’s long-standing two-party system. But while the traditional Socialists and right-center Popular Party have lost ground, none of the upstarts has managed to fully sweep in, leading to a fragmented landscape where elections produce either weak governments or no government at all.
Spain was once thought to be immune to the far-right. Vox is proving otherwise.
An April 2019 election produced no government; the Socialists won the most votes, but then squabbled with Podemos about joining hands. Instead, Spain went back to the polls. In that November vote, the Socialists again won the most seats — but fewer than before, and Podemos fared worse as well. This time, the formal Sánchez and the ponytailed Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias quickly drew up a deal, chastened by their previous failure and hoping to avoid yet another return to the polls. Analysts say the parties were also moving to stave off far-right Vox, which has emerged as Spain’s fastest-growing party.
The new government’s first order of business will be to pass the general budget for Spain, which has been on hold for nearly two years. Negotiations over that budget last year caused a previous Sánchez government to collapse after he failed to get his backing for his plan.The new government’s first order of business will be to pass the general budget for Spain, which has been on hold for nearly two years. Negotiations over that budget last year caused a previous Sánchez government to collapse after he failed to get his backing for his plan.
With his anti-austerity partners Podemos in government, Sánchez has said he will immediately focus on overhauling the tax system, labor reform and housing costs. Sánchez had been unable to win support in an earlier proceeding Sunday, which required an outright majority in the 350-seat parliament. But the bar lowered for Tuesday’s vote, which required only that the “Yes” votes to outnumber the “No” votes — meaning abstentions could help launch a minority government into power. With 18 abstaining, 167 members voted in favor of the government and 165 voted against. Some of the politicians who backed the deal mentioned that the only alternative would be going back to the polls for Spain’s fifth election in just over four years.
“The world is not only going to keep spinning with absolute normality, but also in many ways its possible it will improve soon,” wrote Juan Tortosa Monday in left-leaning daily Publico. “And that is the reality the harbingers of disaster fear.” That period of instability has come as upstart parties have tried to break up the nation’s long-standing two-party system. While the traditional Socialists and right-center Popular Party have lost ground, none of the upstarts has managed to fully sweep in, leading to a diluted landscape where elections produce either weak governments or no government at all.
An April 2019 election produced no government; the Socialists won the most votes, but then squabbled with Podemos about joining hands. Instead, Spain went back to the polls. In that November vote, the Socialists again won the most seats — but fewer than before, and Podemos fared worse as well. This time, the formal Sánchez and the ponytailed Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias quickly drew up a deal, chastened by their previous failure and hoping to avoid yet another return to the polls. Analysts say the parties were also moving to stave off far-right Vox, which has emerged as Spain’s fastest-growing party.
Spain was once thought to be immune to the far-right. Vox is proving otherwise.
Vox has grown largely by presenting itself as the firmest defender of the country’s unity amid the Catalan crisis. The majority of Spaniards are opposed to Catalan independence, and in Catalonia the attitudes are divided. Several recent flash points have re-inflamed the crisis, particularly the Supreme Court sentencing last October of nine Catalan leaders on sedition charges.
The abstention pledge from the Catalan separatist ERC party figures to force the re-start of negotiations with Sánchez that had broken down while he was caretaker. But the Socialists have emphasized that they are not interested in greenlighting an official referendum on independence.
Though some pro-independence Catalans might view the ERC as traitors for dealing with the government, ERC is trying to position itself as a party moving ahead with negotiations after other efforts to spark independence have failed and drawn fierce pushback from Madrid.
“It’s clear that the unilateral route toward independence failed,” said Carlos Barrera, a politics professor at the University of Navarra. “So they are now looking to go toward the negotiated route and see how much they can get from a weak government. ERC is now personifying that route with this gamble. If the negotiation fails, at least ERC can say they tried. And if it succeeds, they can claim victory.”
Spain was once thought to be immune to the far-right. Vox is proving otherwise.Spain was once thought to be immune to the far-right. Vox is proving otherwise.
Ahead of elections in Spain, Catalan independence again dominatesAhead of elections in Spain, Catalan independence again dominates
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