The leader of the Partido Popular, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, has announced that he will table a moción de censura in the Congreso de los Diputados if it comes to it among the governing partners PNV or Junts to a “arrebato de dignidad” against the government. He said this in an interview with Okdiario; 20minutos reported on it on 11 August. In his words, the initiative he outlined would be “instrumental” in bringing about snap elections quickly.
Feijóo confirmed contacts with PNV and Junts. According to him, the PP was speaking more intensively with Junts because this group more often votes against proposals by Pedro Sánchez At the same time, he said that, if necessary to form a government, he would work with Vox if need be – “con luz y taquígrafos” – and not through a “pacto encapuchado”, as he says Sánchez has done in his dealings with Bildu He attributed. The parties backing the prime minister would pay dearly for their “complicidad” at the ballot box, Feijóo said, accusing them of being accomplices to “the greatest corruption” he had ever attributed to a government. In practice, however, he acknowledged that he would not table a motion at present, as he lacks the votes for a majority in the Congreso de los Diputados.
As early as 1 June, Feijóo had publicly outlined a similar offer to PNV and Junts: a purely “instrumental” moción de censura without Vox’s participation, followed immediately by a call for elections. Reports by EFE and RTVE documented differing reactions at the time: government representatives described the plan as unrealistic, while PNV and Junts signalled that it faced major political hurdles.
The latest statements come amid a period of tense negotiations in Madrid. At the same time, migration policy is seeing a dispute over the distribution of unaccompanied minors from Ceuta — an issue that is once again bringing the fault lines between the central government and the regions into view.
In Spain, the moción de censura is constructive: it requires an absolute majority to pass, and the motion must name an alternative candidate for prime minister. Without votes from PNV or Junts, an initiative by the Partido Popular would be virtually impossible to pass mathematically; both parties have indicated their distance from agreements that could boost Vox. Feijóo’s move is clearly intended to expose divisions within the heterogeneous camp backing the government. Whether a viable majority can be formed at short notice remains unclear — not least because the PP leader himself says for now that the votes are lacking.
Editor: Phillipe Schmidt-Araguin (Article created with AI assistance).