At United, we cannot and will not hide our “concern” about the current state of the governing coalition with the PSOE. The parliamentary speaker of Unidas Podemos (UP), Pablo Echenique, wanted to start his weekly press appearance in Congress this Tuesday by acknowledging the internal problems of what he called the “general political framework” and then expressing that in its formation, the sensation is “concerned” that after the state budget for 2023 was passed last week, the PSOE was sending them “too many signals” that it wanted to block “important social legislation for the citizens” for “political and electoral reasons”. The PSOE denied this, confining the tension to an administrative issue of “legislative overdose”. The UP chair listed inconsistencies in trans law, family law, lack of communication on an alternative proposal to reform the crime of sedition, or last-minute calls to report appointments to the Constitutional Court. Echenique did not rule out that it might be a good idea to convene the coalition’s so-called crisis or follow-up table to clarify positions before the forthcoming final phase of the legislature.
“We are concerned because we are already seeing too many signs that seem to indicate that coalition partner PSOE is blocking key social legislation for citizens after the budgets are passed, and we do not want to believe that the PSOE has done any political or electoral calculation there, but the signs are piling up,” Pablo Echenique verified in the Congressional Press Room before entering the Speakers Council.
Unidas Podemos suspects that the PSOE has entered election campaign mode and although both parties had only met at the highest level a month ago to sort out issues and legislation that precisely thinks about conflict avoidance for the period up to 2023, the discrepancies are skyrocketed and has been made public on several fronts. Echenique ratified this Tuesday what the Minister for Equality, Irene Montero, put forward on Monday about the PSOE keeping alive its amendments correcting aspects of gender self-determination of the trans law, which will be passed when it is passed through this Wednesday’s presentation should move forward in Congress, which now appears to be deadlocked as the Social Democrats want to introduce more court approvals for sex reassignment for minors between the ages of 12 and 16.
It appears to United We Can that these corrections could be backed by the right wing of the PP this Wednesday, and Vox and its spokesmen dare not risk the consequences of these differences within the coalition. Echenique repeatedly stressed his “concern” about this behavior of the PSOE right now, at this crucial and final moment of the legislature, acknowledging that these internal divisions primarily harm trans minors who have suffered so much discrimination, but also politically to the two coalition partners. The UP leader took the opportunity to also question one of the PSOE’s arguments for changing the Trans Law: its alleged legal flaws. Echenique concluded that the whole government jointly endorsed the rule last summer and therefore ironically assumes that they understand that “the PSOE does not legislate without legal certainty”, which is why he concluded that the reasons for this corrections are different.
“Legal Overdose”
The PSOE fails to perceive this seriousness in the current differences between the partners and, according to its spokeswoman in Congress Patxi López, limits them to, among other things, a problem of “legislative overdose”, because in the month that remains in period meetings with three planned plenary sessions try to include up to six pending projects. López therefore stressed the importance of “stability” that the approval of the budgets has brought, insisting on reducing the tone of the disputes and their importance. López insisted on highlighting the idea that the PSOE would uphold changes to “the LGTBi law that is not trans law,” or objections to the family law, or the animal cruelty law or others, but only because it is trying to “to get what is best possible” and endure foreseeable appeals to the right-wing opposition’s Constitutional Court.
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The socialist spokesman ruled out any intention to agree with the PP on these reforms of the trans project, as feared by Minister Irene Montero and her party, and in fact the popular parties confirmed that they had not even convened them. The PSOE intends for UP to agree to negotiate a compromise amendment with a majority of investiture after the passage of the law for the paper from tomorrow, an option that is currently very far away.
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However, in United We Can they do not understand these objections now from the PSOE or as this party told them late Monday evening that the family law, which they also consider essential and which is promoted by the Department of Social Rights, which precisely directs Ione Belarra, its secretary-general, will not be put on the agenda for approval in the Council of Ministers this Tuesday as agreed. Echequine pointed out that the socialist sector of the executive gave them no reason to do so. The UP spokesman also revealed that the PSOE called them at the end of the day on Monday to inform them that they would submit to the Council on Tuesday the two appointments that correspond to the government’s Constitutional Court. United We Can complained that there was no problem for these proposals, proposing the appointment of two people very close to the PSOE, and that at the time that party accepted the veto of Justice Victoria Rosell to become a member of the General Council of the Judiciary to become, when he’s not even a member of UP.
Echenique did not rule out that it might be appropriate to convene a meeting of the so-called crisis or coalition monitoring table, which has not taken place for months, although he specified that they are already having daily dialogues with PSOE and government spokespersons and the reasons are being discussed there repeated and criticized why stopping or stopping social legislation can be a bad managerial decision, but also a political and an electoral decision. Speakers from other groups allied to the coalition, such as Más País and Compromís, also complained in Congress that this public noise is damaging the future of their alliances and their policies.
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