Spain’s prime minister Pedro Sánchez survives knife-edge votes

Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez managed to avoid disaster in the first major parliamentary votes of the new legislature, but they have intensified doubts about the viability of his controversial governing alliance.

Congress narrowly approved key bills containing a series of economic measures and changes to the judiciary and civil service, but rejected a third dealing with unemployment benefits as the nationalists of Together for Catalonia (JxCat) refused to support Mr Sánchez. The government introduced all three pieces of legislation via decree before Christmas, and they required parliamentary approval to remain in effect.

Pedro Casares of Mr Sánchez’s Socialist Party, said the legislation was “not about . . . saving this government, it is about saving and protecting millions of Spaniards”.

Mr Sánchez formed his new coalition administration in November, with the parliamentary support of several nationalist parties, including the hard-line JxCat of former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont.

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In exchange for its backing, Mr Sánchez’s Socialists agreed to present an amnesty law that would benefit hundreds of separatists facing legal action, including Mr Puigdemont.

However, in Wednesday’s vote, JxCat refused to support any of the government’s bills, instead abstaining from voting, while the decision by the leftist Podemos to vote against some of the government’s economic measures meant one of the three bills was defeated.

“My country does not deserve this monstrosity, this dishonour, this humiliation,” said the leader of the opposition conservative Popular Party (PP), Alberto Núñez Feijóo, of the drama surrounding the votes.

“If three decree-laws have put the government in such a tight spot, it’s frightening to think what it’s going to be like every week for the rest of this legislature,” he said.

The approval of the bill dealing with the judiciary and civil service ensures that €10 billion in EU recovery funds, which had been contingent on the legislation, will be released.

The government had feared that all three pieces of legislation were heading for defeat after JxCat had flagged its intention to block them the day before the vote. The party had raised several objections, including a demand that sanctions be introduced for companies that refused to return to Catalonia after moving their base to other parts of Spain because of the turmoil caused by a failed secession attempt in 2017. Around 5,000 firms are reported to have moved their headquarters away from Catalonia during that period.

JxCat’s decision to abstain rather than vote against the bills prevented the session from being a triple defeat for Mr Sánchez’s administration. However, it provides ammunition for critics of the prime minister who had warned that his reliance on the nationalists would lead to a highly unstable legislature.

After the votes, JxCat said that its seven MPs had abstained in exchange for a series of concessions from the government, including more control over immigration for the Catalan region.

The amnesty law which the Socialists have presented to congress has angered many unionists, who see it as an unconstitutional concession to Catalan nationalism. The law must be approved by parliament and overcome legal obstacles before it is implemented, possibly later this year.

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