Sanchez puts the legislature back on track together with the investiture block

MadridAt the end of August, the Finance Ministry team assumed that the state budgets would be approved with Ciudadanos. Pedro Sanchez began the political course by meeting with their leader, Ines Arrimadas, before meeting with the ERC spokesman in Madrid, Gabriel Rufian. At that time, the Spanish president conveyed to the Republicans that Cs would accept anything from him. The price of the budgets was very low, but ERC decided to play: the pandemic had moved the election scenario slightly away. The end has been visualized this week thanks to an agreement with ERC and the PNB (the Basque National Party), and EH Bildu's yes to the accounts, which has led to a no from Ciudadanos. Sanchez puts the legislature back on track with the investiture block and gives a boost to the coalition with Podemos, but maintains the intention to continue looking for Arrimadas.

Having new budgets in their pockets, and more so in a context of serious crisis due to the pandemic, is a ball of oxygen for the Moncloa, which insists on a long term of office: until 2023. For two years, Sánchez has survived with extended budgets from Mariano Rajoy's time, even creating ministries like Science and Equality, which had no budget at all. These accounts, according to the Finance Ministry, will be the cornerstone of the legislature. But this does not imply that the support that will make them prosper will be maintained until the end. Despite the election of the ERC route for now, the Spanish president is not giving up on Ciudadanos.

PSOE sectors are warning of the electoral "wear and tear" that comes with meeting the demands of Unidas Podemos. Despite the fact that the budgets were initially designed to please Ciudadanos - which has remained in the equation until a week before they moved on to the final debate in Congress, before reaching the Senate - the lilac party has generated a huge communication campaign over the last few months. The latest example is Transport Minister José Luis Ábalos' commitment to extend the anti-eviction moratorium after pressure from Second Vice President Pablo Iglesias.

A government crisis?

The PNB spokesman in Congress, Aitor Esteban, predicted yesterday, in an interview in Euskadi Irratia, that Sánchez will finish his mandate thanks to these accounts. However, he predicted a change in the dynamics of the coalition government, because the PSOE will no longer be "so linked" to Unidas Podemos during the upcoming months. Moreover, he added that the Socialists will seek other majorities once the 2021 accounts are approved - the final plenary session in Congress, when they return from the Senate, will be on December 29th.

From Podemos they admit that they will have to lower the pressure from January onwards, also to avoid the erosion of the coalition, reports Ot Serra. The last few days have once again brought the sound of a possible government crisis. Sanchez ruled it out last Sunday. After the budgets, a very parliamentary stage is in sight, with the debate of significant laws such as the euthanasia law, the sexual freedom law - which implies explicit consent for relationships - and the climate change law, now that the approval in Congress of the education reform has taken place.

However, the Moncloa also foresees having to face a serious economic crisis. The European funds for reconstruction may end up bringing conditions, and that is why the government looks to the right. Ciudadanos' route is not dead, together with the PNB and the four PDECat members - who have not yet confirmed what they will vote for regarding the budgets -, and some members of the mixed group.