PP chief: “Facilitating a PSOE-Podemos government would be suicide”

The Socialist Party (PSOE) made clear today that it will not change course, despite pressure from rival groups, and will seek to form a coalition government with the left-wing anti-austerity Unidas Podemos, with the abstention of the Catalan Republican Left (ERC).

The news was conveyed by Adriana Lastra, the general vice-secretary of the PSOE, and the visible face of the caretaker government during the negotiations ahead of an investiture debate and subsequent vote that could see the party’s current leader, Pedro Sánchez, returned to power.

The repeat general election on November 10 saw the PSOE take the most seats in Spain’s lower house of parliament, the Congress of Deputies but, as in April, fall well short of an absolute majority. Shortly after the election result was known, the PSOE announced a planned coalition deal with Unidas Podemos. But the two parties still need the support of other groups if Sánchez is to successfully win an investiture vote.

The PSOE’s “Plan A” is to convince the ERC to abstain at the second round of the investiture debate, at which a simple majority – more yes than no votes – is needed for Sánchez’s bid to prosper. The details of the negotiations, however, are currently unknown. The ERC – which supports Catalan independence – wants a commitment to talks between the central government in Madrid and the Catalan regional government on the future of the northeastern region.

On Monday, Adriana Lastra spoke to reporters about the current situation, and asked for “understanding” from its supporters for the party’s silence. “The deal, if it is done, will be public, subject to legal protection, to the rules, the law, and the Constitution,” she said. “The entire PSOE is working so that this country can have a government as soon as possible.”

During the failed negotiations to form a government after the April elections, Sánchez often stated that the pro-independence parties “cannot be trusted,” adding that he didn’t want to have to depend on them to be able to govern the country. But now the PSOE’s message is that there is no other choice. “We are trying to avoid a third election [in a year], and offer stability,” Lastra said on Monday. “We want to form a government to do many things, among others to repeal the more damaging aspects of the labor reform, and we are also talking about that with the ERC.”

No PP “whitewash”

Earlier in the day, caretaker Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez met with the leader of the main opposition Popular Party (PP), Pablo Casado. After an icy greeting, the pair spent 40 minutes in talks, but there were few surprises afterwards.

“The PP cannot be the party that whitewashes the deal with Podemos,” Casado said afterwards of his group’s refusal to abstain at an investiture vote to allow Sánchez to form a government. “This would be like calling on Pedro Sánchez to facilitate a government in which Vox has the deputy prime ministerial role,” he said in reference to the far-right party, now the third-largest group in Congress. Favoring a PSOE-Unidas Podemos government would, Casado added, be “lethal for Spain and suicidal for the party.”

Speaking to the press on Monday, Casado said that he had asked Sánchez “five times” if he had an offer for the PP apart from calling on them to abstain. “He said no,” he explained.

Casado went on to argue that Sánchez’s decision to negotiate with ERC is “deliberate,” and is not essential in the circumstances, claiming that a deal between the PSOE, Podemos and center-right party Ciudadanos could be sought – as was the case in 2016, after another inconclusive election. “The PSOE will end up being devoured by the pro-independence [parties],” Casado added.

Spain has been to the polls four times in as many years, and may have to return to yet another general election should Sánchez’s current bid to form a government fail. The caretaker prime minister is keen to hold an investiture debate before Christmas, but the ERC has stated that it is in no hurry to close the deal. That said, the talks are entering their final phase this week.

With reporting by Carlos E. Cué and Natalia Junquera.

A ‘Frankenstein government’

Elsa García de Blas, Madrid

The parliamentary spokesperson from center-right Ciudadanos (Citizens), Inés Arrimadas, also met with caretaker Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Monday. “I’ve come to get that idea out of his head,” she said before her first one-to-one meeting with the Socialist Party (PSOE) chief, in reference to his planned coalition government with Unidas Podemos.

She was unable to persuade Sánchez to change course, however, but said afterwards that there was still” hope” that her proposal of a “grand pact” between the PSOE, the Popular Party (PP) and Ciudadanos could prosper.

“If the ‘Frankenstein government’ fails,” she said in reference to the planned deal, which will need the abstention of the Catalan Republican Left (ERC), “Sánchez may see himself obliged, albeit out of necessity, to open the path for the [pro-Constitution parties].”

English version by Simon Hunter.