The Basque lehendakari, Imanol Pradales, accused the PP this Friday of "beating around the bush" with the eventual presentation of a no-confidence motion against the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, and admitted that the ties between the PNV and the 'popular' "are not going through their best moment", in a scenario marked by the consolidation of pacts between PP and Vox.
During an informative breakfast organized by RTVE and the Efe Agency, Pradales questioned the strategy of the main opposition party, after the leader of the PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, has appealed in recent weeks to the PNV to try to articulate an alternative parliamentary majority with which to promote a no-confidence motion against Sánchez.
"I believe the PP is beating around the bush with this issue," said the lehendakari when asked about these calls, before acknowledging that relations between both formations "are not going through their best moments." At this point, he linked the cooling of the relationship with the PP to the growing weight of Vox in territorial agreements and reiterated that the nationalists will "always be against" any political operation in which Santiago Abascal's party participates.
"We are seeing that all the governments that are being constituted have incorporated the Vox variable," Pradales recalled, stressing that Abascal's party defends in Euskadi the illegalization of the PNV and the disappearance of the autonomous state. "That generates a very deep concern for us and we can only be against any operation in which Vox is part of the operation," he warned.
The lehendakari also alluded to the statements of former President of the Government José María Aznar about the need to build a "national" majority to dislodge Sánchez from La Moncloa. In his opinion, the former PP leader is in positions of "Spanish ultranationalism" and tries to build "a narrative" that serves to legitimize the "normalization" of agreements between PP and Vox.
A "critical" legislature and risk of "decomposition"
At another point in his speech, Pradales warned that the state legislature is going through a particularly complex phase and demanded that the President of the Government offer a clear response to the current situation, fulfill pending commitments with Euskadi and prevent the political cycle from entering "a climate of certain decomposition."
"If President Sánchez does not give some sense and order to the rest of the legislature, it is very difficult for the legislature to last," he maintained. In this regard, he assured that as long as the legislature continues, the Basque Government will continue negotiating with the central Executive, but stressed that trust will depend on tangible progress in fulfilling the agreements reached with Euskadi.
Asked about the possibility of an "electoral super-Sunday" grouping different electoral events, the lehendakari argued that it is "democratically healthier" for the electorate to express themselves "separately" in each call and pointed out that, in his opinion, "it is better" to avoid this coincidence.
State Breaches and Pending Transfers
Pradales also expressed his "concern" about the direction of the negotiations held this week with various ministries to advance the still pending transfers of the Statute of Gernika, especially in areas related to Social Security, as well as ports and airports.
He recounted that the meetings with the Ministries of Labor, Social Security, and Territorial Policy have been disappointing, as he understood that the central Government had rejected Euskadi's proposals without offering alternatives. "We have hit a wall, a dead end, which says no and does not put alternatives on the table. I think it is unacceptable and disrespectful," he lamented.
The lehendakari recalled that the transfer schedule agreed upon in the bilateral commission of 2024 has not been met and directly urged Sánchez to rebuild trust between both administrations. "I hope they do not play with the Basque people," he warned, emphasizing that there is "less and less trust between the parties."
Along these lines, he demanded progress already this month of July that would allow for the convening of a new bilateral commission with concrete results and reiterated that the full development of the Statute is key to sustaining the current political stage. "The legislature must be given meaning," he insisted, remarking that respect for the agreements with Euskadi will be decisive for the continuity of the political cycle in Madrid.
Criticism of Sánchez for Corruption Cases
The lehendakari also considered the explanations offered by Pedro Sánchez on the corruption cases affecting the PSOE environment "insufficient" and lamented the atmosphere of confrontation in the Congress of Deputies. "What we saw was a new squabble, the 'whataboutism', which leads us nowhere," he pointed out, calling last week's parliamentary debate "disappointing."
In his opinion, citizens demand "exemplary political action" from the President of the Government and a response "with transparency and speed" to the information that is becoming known about these cases.
The "Guernica", Basque Politics and Medical Strikes
Pradales also addressed the request made to the Ministry of Culture to transfer Pablo Picasso's "Guernica" to the Basque Country on the anniversary of the bombing, and reproached the central government for a lack of "institutional respect" by not offering an adequate response.
He denounced that the Reina Sofía Museum "has dusted off" a 25-year-old report, signed with the current date, but which says "the same thing." "Techniques and technologies have changed," stressed the lehendakari, who insisted that genuine political will is necessary for the transfer to be considered.
The Basque leader also referred to internal issues of politics in the Basque Country, such as the relationship with EH Bildu, admitting that both parties maintain "very opposing societal models," as well as immigration and the Basque candidacy linked to the 2030 Football World Cup.
Regarding the medical strikes related to the Framework Statute, Pradales reiterated his demand to the Minister of Health, Mónica García, to withdraw it, and urged Sánchez to intervene if the Minister of Health does not rectify.