LAST RIGHT Vox will present its second motion of no confidence on Monday against the current Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, of the Socialist Party (PSOE).
On this occasion, the candidate to lead the country will be Professor Ramón Tamames, an 89-year-old economist and politician who was a member of the Communist Party of Spain, among other political formations.
The initiative, however, is doomed from the beginning as it will not find the support of other political parties in Congress. What’s more, the PSOE believes that the ruse will really work in its favor ahead of the local and regional elections in May of this year, and the general elections at the end of 2023.
Why is Vox filing the motion? The attempt to unseat Pedro Sánchez was promised by the leader of Vox, santiago abascal, who said in a statement that his party is committed to ‘presenting an independent candidate’, Tamames, who has a ‘brilliant intellectual past’, and is a symbol of national reconciliation’. “Millions of Spaniards” are “requesting the immediate resignation of a government that acts against the interests of the nation,” he added.
What government policies does Vox oppose? The extreme right party is opposed virtually everything the government – a coalition of the PSOE and the left Unidas Podemos – represents. But since November, Vox has been particularly opposed to the government-led reforms. These include changes to the law that benefit the leaders of the Catalan independence campaign, as well as a controversial consent law that has had the unintended effect of shortening the sentences of some sex offenders.
When will the motion be filed? Vox plans to present the motion on Monday, but it will be up to the president of the Chamber, Meritxell Batet, to set the date of the debate. It will take place before the municipal and regional elections on May 28.
What other parties support the motion? Vox initially sought support from the center-right PP and Ciudadanos (Citizens) for the initiative, but they refused. This led Abascal to search for an independent candidate for the post of prime minister, which led him to Tamames. PP figures have asked Tamames to refuse to get involved, but these appeals have fallen on deaf ears. It is believed that the academic wants the opportunity to debate with the prime minister. The PP will abstain in this motion of censure, but will not vote against it.
What does the PSOE think of the initiative? Socialist Party sources have told the Spanish daily El Español that they believe they will get a boost in the polls if they handle the motion well. The same sources assure that they plan to delay the debate as much as possible, to bring it closer to the regional and municipal elections in May. The Socialists believe that the maneuver is a “mistake” intended to “draw a bit of attention”, but they fear that the PP will take advantage of the occasion to call even more attention to the controversial recent government measures, such as the consent law, and the changes to the Penal Code that have benefited the Catalan separatists.
What will happen in the debate? PP sources have told Spanish journalists that they fear the vote of no confidence is ‘a circus’, and they have also expressed concern that Tamames, 89, will have the stamina to endure the debate. He’ll have to present at all times, which means he’ll have to last around five hours without even going to the bathroom, and he’ll also have to walk back and forth from his seat to the lectern in the chamber. It is likely that Tamames will not debate directly with Pedro Sánchez either, but with a government spokesman. All parties are likely to vote against the motion except Vox.
What happened in Vox’s first motion of no confidence? Vox’s initial motion of no confidence against Sánchez was carried out in October 2020. The party lost the initiative and only obtained the votes of its 52 deputies in the 350-seat chamber. The big surprise of that debate was the refusal of the conservative Popular Party (PP) to support the vote, with the then leader of the group, Pablo Casado, launching a scathing criticism of Vox and Abascal, voting against the motion. Although the PP will abstain this time, the overall result will almost certainly be the same.
Read more:
The far-right party Vox tests for the first time the power of the regional government in Spain
The far-right party Vox announces new abortion measures for the Spanish region of Castilla y León
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