• 10-N. The PP will reach out to Pedro Sánchez if he breaks up with Pablo Iglesias
  • PSOE.Pedro Sánchez parks his campaign promises against independence and insists on dialogue to achieve his abstention

The leadership of the PSOE continues without considering the abstention of the Popular Party as a way to form a government despite the internal debate opened in this party and the claim of some of its barons that this formula is explored to avoid any dependence on independent formations like ERC or EH Bildu.

After Monday, after the meeting of the Executive of the PSOE, its secretary of Organization and acting Minister of Development, José Luis Ábalos, publicly rejected this possibility on the grounds that the margin of the PP is very small, due to the proximity in seats to the extreme right of Vox and that it was not worth insisting because they were not going to do it, the Socialists have ignored the voices that within the PP have defended abstention in recent days. And they have even given up wearing Pablo Casado with the petition, something that is incomprehensible to many socialist cadres for several reasons. One, because the PSOE abstained in 2016 to facilitate a government of Mariano Rajoy and avoid third elections. And two because until a few days ago the stubbornness of Pedro Sánchez in not accepting a coalition with the PP led to thinking of many party positions that only if the popular abstained would it be possible to form a government.

But in a few hours everything that remained in recent months has lost its validity. The PSOE clings to the pact between Sánchez and Iglesias as the only way to overcome the political blockade. And this was revealed yesterday by the spokeswoman for the acting Executive and Minister of Education, Isabel Celaá, who considers this pre-agreement as the "key to open the door of governance" and the "first step to form a progressive coalition government, that becomes the European reference in defense of social rights ». In his opinion, the Spaniards at the polls "have not given the green light to conservative recipes."

And although the Executive appeals to "the responsibility of all" the words yesterday of Celaá, a kind of declaration of intent at the beginning of the press conference after the meeting of the Council of Ministers, were focused on reiterating the offer of dialogue within the Constitution as a formula to address the Catalan crisis. "Independence has to abandon its monologue and recognize who is not," he said. The spokeswoman did not make explicit appeals to the PP or to Citizens but did dedicate part of her intervention to highlight that one of the objectives of the pact between the PSOE and United We can is to guarantee coexistence in Catalonia and to reinforce the commitment to a dialogue exit. Just the same as the day before the acting President of the Executive, Pedro Sánchez, had done in an appearance in La Moncloa.

Everything seems directed to seek and obtain the abstention of CKD that would save the endowment. Some of the smaller parties that with their vote or abstention can contribute to governance both by abstaining and voting in favor such as BNG or Canary Coalition have already shown their predisposition.

Although some socialist barons like Emiliano García-Page to Guillermo Fernández Vara have publicly advocated an understanding with the PP, which would frighten the influence of ERC, it has not just deepened in this way. Ferraz sources do argue that they contemplate the abstention of Citizens but the weight of this option in the public discourse of the socialist leadership is imperceptible. Less still that the PP abstains. As RNE said yesterday the president of the Valencian Generalitat, Ximo Puig, "the PP said 'it is not no' forever, it seems incredible to me that now, when there is a principle of agreement, it is said that maybe there is some possibility" .

Nerves among ministers about their future

The entrance of United We can in the Government, if Pedro Sánchez finally got the necessary votes to overcome the investiture, has generated nerves among some ministers that could be displaced by members of this party. The pre-agreement signed on Tuesday was already surprising for many of them and in the absence of negotiation on the final distribution of Ministries, the head of Labor, Magdalena Valerio, whose powers last July claimed We can, said yesterday that "it is best to be busy" , since "when you are busy you don't have time to worry."

During the last months in different meetings and appearances, Pedro Sánchez has confirmed the continuity of some of his ministers. Among them Nadia Calviño - who in campaign confirmed as economic vice president - María Jesús Montero, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, Pedro Duque, Margarita Robles and Luis Planas. The intention of the PSOE, as reflected in the July negotiation, is to reserve the so-called Ministries of State: Defense, Foreign Affairs, Interior and Justice.

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  • PP
  • PSOE
  • ERC
  • Citizens
  • Pedro Sanchez
  • Pablo Casado
  • Mariano Rajoy
  • Guillermo Fernández Vara
  • United We Can
  • Vox
  • Ximo Puig
  • Canary Coalition
  • BNG
  • Bildu
  • Catalonia
  • José Luis Ábalos
  • Emiliano García-Page
  • Isabel Celaá
  • Politics

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