The spokesperson for the Popular Party in Congress, Ester Muñoz, asked her ERC counterpart, Gabriel Rufián, this Wednesday "how much more shit is he going to swallow" for his support of the Executive. The pro-independence deputy immediately replied with another question: "how do you handle making deals with coup plotters?", alluding to the PP's agreements with Junts.
The exchange took place in the Plenary Session during the debate of a PP motion on corruption in the Government, an initiative marked by complaints to the Congress's Board for blocking amendments from the 'popular' party and Junts that intended for the Chamber to urge President Pedro Sánchez to call general elections.
"Mr. Rufián, how much more shit are you going to swallow? What is the limit, until when?", Muñoz insisted, arguing that "democracy is not about those who think differently not governing," but about "Spaniards deciding." In her opinion, the Board prevented a vote because the Government ran the risk of losing that vote.
Rufián responded by praising Muñoz's dialectical ability and agreeing with her criticism of the veto on the amendments. "They should have been voted on so that you could expose yourselves, especially some, because the question is simple: How do you handle making certain deals increasingly with coup plotters, secessionists, or even terrorists?", he asked, recalling the labels that, as he recalled, the PP used for Junts "until two days ago".
Rufián attacks PP and Junts and questions a motion of no confidence
The ERC leader also directed reproaches at Carles Puigdemont's party: "How do you handle making deals with the Spain of the cave, with these almost sub-humans, with those who want to outlaw us?", he asked them, before emphasizing that "until the PSOE" makes it "very difficult" for him — something he believes will happen — as spokesperson for ERC he will do "everything possible" to prevent the PP from reaching La Moncloa.
"The motion of no confidence, for when?", Rufián added, warning of the "social suffering" that, in his opinion, the "triumvirate" formed by Feijoo — "or perhaps another person" —, Santiago Abascal and Puigdemont would cause, and questioning Junts about "in exchange for what they are making deals with PP and Vox".
PP and Junts have expressed their displeasure at the Congress's Steering Committee's decision to prevent the vote on amendments that called for Sánchez to dissolve the Cortes and call elections. Both groups have argued that there were precedents for other texts that urged the head of the Executive to exercise his exclusive prerogatives, including that of calling early elections.
Accusations of "gerrymandering" and a "dead" legislature
Muñoz has described the Steering Committee's action as "gerrymandering," singling out the President of Congress, Francina Armengol. According to the PP spokesperson, the veto occurred because this time the Government "was going to lose the vote" and because the socialists are "afraid" and "have put the Chamber at the service of the sewer that was created in Ferraz."
For the deputy spokesperson for Junts, Josep María Cruset, "whatever the Government does, everyone knows that the legislature is dead" because the Executive "has run out of capacity to do anything" and the "siege due to corruption cases is unbearable." In his opinion, the situation "is not going to improve over time" and "anything other than calling elections is deceiving people."
Vox has also censured the veto of the PP and Vox amendments, but has taken advantage of its intervention to lash out at Alberto Núñez Feijóo's opposition strategy, which it has defined as "controlled" and "submissive to the government party."
From the PNV, spokesperson Maribel Vaquero reiterated that Sánchez should call elections if he fails to approve the Budgets for 2027 and stressed that the "too many cases" open "around the Presidency of the Government" constitute a "very relevant issue that conditions the legislature."
PSOE's response and Sumar's criticism of the PP
The PSOE's reply was taken up by PSC deputy Arnau Ramírez, for whom the PP's objective is not to "win elections" against the socialists, but to destroy them. "They want to destroy us, but their plan has many flaws because on the one hand we have the strongest president ever and on the other, when they do these things, only Vox goes up in the polls," he said, accusing the PP of being "in such a hurry that they have lost their shame."
"They are going too far and will pay for it at the polls," warned Ramírez, denying the supposed "weakness of the Government" and contrasting the attitude of the 'popular' and socialists regarding corruption cases. "You protect the corrupt and we throw them out; you are unfazed but we are tremendously screwed and disgusted," he concluded.
On behalf of Sumar, Aina Vidal rejected the PP's motion, which, in her opinion, seeks to "continue degrading institutions" so that the right-wing, with the support of employers, can initiate "a new era by destroying" the rights won by the working class "in order to redistribute envelopes to their colleagues" in Congress.