The great unknown about the date of the first investiture was resolved this Wednesday morning. The president of Congress, Francina Armengol, announced that Alberto Núñez Feijóo You must carry out the process on September 26 and 27. A calendar that matches the demands of the PP, which was dedicated this Tuesday to trying to delay the sessions in search of support that seems almost impossible.
Armengol thus gains access to the demands of the popular in contrast to the statements made by socialist leaders such as Patxi López, who described wanting to extend a “fake investiture” as “excuses”.
The party led by Pedro Sánchez, acting president, has given Feijóo time but hoping that this calendar will also benefit them.
For the PSOE leadership in Ferraz, nothing changes. “On September 26, Feijóo will arrive at his investiture with the same seats that it already had on July 23“, insist the socialist sources consulted by Public. “It’s going to burn over a slow fire,” highlights one of the leaders consulted by this means. In short, “it’s going to wear out.”
Armengol’s final decision reflects the goal of not give arguments to the PP so that they charge against the president of Congress herself and consequently against Sánchez. A way to reduce possible tensions that generate pressure against the recently elected president.
Sanchez now has one month more than expected initially to negotiate with the rest of the political forces. Especially with Together. And that is where the relativization that the PSOE makes of the importance of the dates chosen by Armengol comes into play.
In addition, in a hypothetical electoral repetition, which is ruled out in the ranks of the PSOE, the date of the elections would not arrive until January 14, past Christmas. Holding elections on these festive dates, after the summer call, could be a stone in Sánchez’s shoe if the voters decided to penalize him at the polls.
“We do our thing”, insist Sánchez’s team. That is, to negotiate in a “discreet” way and “without haste but without pause” with the rest of the political formations. From Junts to EH Bildu, passing through BNG, ERC and Sumar. “The focus will now be on Feijóo, to which some groups no longer know how to say no. Meanwhile, we will work as we have done these four years,” reflects a leader from Ferraz.
So far several steps have been taken. First, with the agreement for the vote of the Congress Table that took place last week. In that negotiation he already entered to facilitate that ERC and Junts had their own parliamentary group.
A gesture that Público already advanced last July. This Wednesday it materialized with the confirmation that the Socialists will temporarily lend Junts two deputies. Sumar will do the same with ERC with the same objective.
Sumar does not share the “waste of time”
On the other hand, from Sumar they do not understand the decision made by Armengol and the socialists. “Feijóo’s failed investiture is a waste of time. Spanish citizens are going to lose a month without an effective governmentdue to the failure of Mr. Feijóo’s leadership and his internal questioning,” say sources from the force led by Yolanda Díaz.
“Feijóo practices the worst policy, the one that looks only at partisan interests and no to the interests of the country and its people“, they add in this regard in Sumar. Like the PSOE, Díaz’s formation emphasizes that they will continue working “to make the only possible investiture effective as soon as possible, which is that of a progressive coalition government.”
