The order by which Judge Leopoldo Puente sent former Minister José Luis Abalos to temporary prison on Thursday (as well as his former advisor Koldo Garcia) caused a political earthquake with aftershocks that reached Congress. Abalos’ admission to prison will result in the suspension of his rights and duties as a member of the House of Representatives for the next few hours, but not the loss of his seat. This circumstance will have a transcendent side effect on the stability of the government: it Junts will gain the ability to overthrow the initiatives of the executive branch In the chamber once abstained if the People’s Party and Vox vote against it at the same time.
Currently, Junts already have the power to overthrow initiatives coming from the government or its partners in which it does not participate. But to do this, he has to actively oppose them with the PP and Vox If there is no split in the progressive bloc. This is what happened on Thursday, when Congress rejected the Finance Ministry’s stabilization path proposal – and in the process dealt a heavy blow to executive power on its way to 2026 state budgets – thanks to the fact that Carles Puigdemont’s people voted against it alongside the populists and the far right.
Without abalos, This scenario is changing. So far, when the PSOE and Somar have managed to attract the support of all their partners (ERC, EH Bildu, PNV, Podemos, BNG and Canarian Coalition) except Junts, they have collected a total of 172 deputies. At the front, the government has 171 parliamentarians made up of PP, Vox and UPN, a block of granite that never breaks. This allowed him to barely pass more than one vote, as Puigdemont’s supporters, without actual support for the executive, conceded to avoid a blow to him.
The most recent example of this occurred two weeks ago, when independents, with their abstentions, allowed the withdrawal of a PP amendment to the Sustainable Mobility Act to extend the shutdown schedule for nuclear power plants. The result of that vote was exactly 172 deputies against the extension and 171 parliamentarians in favor of it. But without Abalos, the result would have been radically different: in the pro-government bloc there would have been only 171 seats, If a tie occurs, the executive authority will not be able to cancel the amendmentThis would have jeopardized its energy policy.
However, these calculations also have a counterpart: when this scenario occurs, All the pressure will be on the shoulders of the representatives of the People’s Party, Vox and the National Progressive Union. Any failure, absence or distraction could mean that the government will emerge from the vote alive, so the 349 parliamentarians must be very careful.
Very short procedure
Procedures for suspending the rights and obligations of Ábalos as a representative It is very brief and will take place in the next few hours. Congressional sources explained that President Francina Armengol has already asked the Supreme Court to officially notify her of the former minister’s entry into temporary prison and to certify that there is an indictment against him. Once this bureaucratic condition is met (possibly this Friday), an extraordinary meeting of the House of Representatives will be called to comply with the regulations and implement the suspension.
However, nominally, Abalos will continue in his position as deputy, since his record is personal and he can only lose it if he relinquishes it. However, you will lose Most powers and obligations What his position requires. First of all, the former minister will be left without a salary: he will stop collecting the total of 3,236 euros per month that he receives as a constitutional allowance, plus an additional 2,078 tax-free euros that parliamentarians from outside Madrid receive to cover expenses incurred by congressional activity.
Likewise, Abalos will lose the right to participate in plenary sessions and congressional committees, as well as the right to join parliamentary groups or request data, reports or documents from public administrations. She will only maintain her right to “sanctity.”for which he cannot be tried or convicted “on account of opinions expressed in the exercise of his duties,” although he can be tried for other crimes, such as those related to corruption.