The coalition government is worsening its internal crisis. The PSOE and Sumar parties failed to reconcile their positions this Friday during the meeting to address a possible solution to the diabolical situation that the Executive is going through and the two declarations sent a posteriori because the sources consulted subsequently account for this distance between the partners. In Sumar, who demands profound changes and has toughened his tone, warning that “persisting in blocking the legislative power would endanger the investiture agreement”, the internal debate on his permanence within the government is reopened. Meanwhile, the PSOE, which ignores and ignores their demands, only emphasizes that there are “more common points than differences.”
There is no indication that the conflict can be redirected anytime soon, although conversations are taking place at different levels and on a daily basis. Pedro Sánchez himself acknowledged in Brussels his meeting this week with Vice President Yolanda Díaz, who last week deeply upset La Moncloa by demanding on television a “profound overhaul” of the executive.
Sumar persists in the need for these formal changes, accompanied by a political impulse that brings the progressive electorate out of depression and legislative initiatives, including urgent measures in housing, such as the extension of the suspension of evictions – which expires on December 31 – or rental contracts which expire in the coming months. This was mentioned again during the meeting between the organizing secretary of the PSOE, Rebeca Torró; his deputy, Borja Cabezón; and the leaders of Izquierda Unida, Más Madrid, Comunes and Movimiento Sumar.
The possibility that the cases of corruption and sexual harassment that haunt the PSOE will worsen or that the National Court will accuse the party of possible illegal financing was on the table during the meeting and conditions any movement. But even if the red line that all partners have drawn is not crossed, the flood of complaints and headlines about police investigations is already hitting the entire executive.
“If he does nothing, he drags us all down,” says a Sumar leader, who believes that without reaction, there is no possibility of “rebirth”, whoever the space candidate is in the next general elections. “It’s the last bullet,” he insists on the survival of the Executive.
Sumar’s four-party statement reflects the unease following the meeting, which the PSOE had previously degraded. “We are aware that this government faces a judicial, economic and political elite that, for years, has been trying to stop change in our country with all the means at its disposal, but this cannot become an excuse to take refuge in Ferraz and La Moncloa and not respond to a population that demands explanations and transformations,” they warn.
The group describes the attitude of the PSOE as “immobile” and affirms that “it only promotes progressive discouragement, reinforces anti-politics and fuels PP and Vox”. “For this reason, beyond cordiality and good words, today’s meeting did not lead to any significant progress”, summarizes the text, which also criticizes that the socialists “continue without even providing an alternative proposal”.
“There is no direction, they are in shock,” summarizes one of the participants in the meeting, who recognizes that the meeting with Torró only worsened the crisis with the PSOE. Sumar sources assure that the secretary of the Socialist Organization declared that yesterday was not “a political meeting” and criticized the “forms” of the vice-president when she requested changes in ministries. “The iron is still held high and it will be the concrete measures adopted which will give an idea of the end of the crisis or not”, affirms another source, who sees for the moment no risk of rupture.
Sánchez’s party avoided public confrontation, but it also did not take up the challenge on any of the measures proposed by Sumar, not even on the convening of the monitoring commission of the government pact, a body in which there are ministers. As he stated in his own statement – a joint statement was not agreed, as on other occasions – during the meeting – “positive”, they say -, Torró explained the measures adopted by the socialists against cases of corruption and harassment, “which are the two issues raised to request it”, they emphasize. “Zero tolerance” for corruption, they insist in their writing.
Since the vice president’s request, the PSOE has publicly downplayed the disagreement and scorned its partner’s proposals. But privately, as Sumar points out, the two wings of government have been working for a week, with conversations at the highest levels at all hours, including holidays, and continuing to negotiate. “We must act,” they repeat over and over again in the face of a disastrous end to the year.
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