• Budgets The Government increases defense spending by 25% and Podemos explodes: "They have hidden it from us, it is a shame, but we are not going to break"

  • Coalition Pedro Sánchez and Yolanda Díaz relegate Podemos in the negotiation of the Budget

The Minister of Finance, María Jesús Montero;

the head of the Presidency Félix Bolaños and the Defense Minister, Margarita Robles, assure that the members of the Government belonging to United We Can were aware, without a doubt, of the 25% increase in defense spending that has finally been included in the Draft General State Budgets for 2023.

Montero has been the most blunt when it comes to denying the parliamentary spokesman for the purple formation, Pablo Echenique, who yesterday branded the concealment that the Socialists had made to the minority partner of the Executive of this game as "shameful".

The person in charge of the Treasury has assured that "obviously" they knew him.

"Those who sit down to negotiate ask about the matters that may be most topical and this one," in reference to defense spending, "was."

With this statement, Montero recalls that both the second vice president, Yolanda Díaz, and the number two of Ione Belarra, Nacho Álvarez, have negotiated the State accounts project with the socialists.

Bolaños also said with a brief "yes" when asked if the purple part of the government was aware of the increase in military spending.

And Defense Minister Margarita Robles insisted that "there is no controversy."

"The important thing," she assured, "is that the commitment of the Prime Minister is fulfilled."

And she added: "All the ministers have been aware of it."

The Government insists that this matter "was discussed" in the negotiations and they consider it "insulting" that they try to convey the message that United We Can was not aware of it.

They believe that it is an artificial controversy created by the purple parliamentary spokesman, Pablo Echenique.

In Moncloa they emphasize that "the Podemos negotiators knew what was going on" and, therefore, "there is no surprise".

"Among the negotiators, the safe versions coincide," they add.

Both the second vice president, Yolanda Díaz, and the Podemos ministers have avoided making statements to journalists on this occasion.

Meanwhile, in the ranks of Podemos it is reiterated that "neither the amount nor the forms were known" in which the Defense budget increase was going to take place, most of which is finally attributed to the weapons modernization plans.

Other sources of this formation prefer to emphasize that United We Can ensure that the bulk of the increase in Defense is not contemplated in the spending ceiling, so it is guaranteed that resources from social items will not be withheld to cover the military increase.

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  • Ministry of Defence

  • Margaret Oaks

  • Can

  • United We Can

  • Maria Jesus Montero

  • Paul Echenique

  • Nadia Calvino

  • Yolanda Diaz

  • Nacho Alvarez Peralta

  • State's general budgets