The latest budgets of the legislature do not have, to date, the support of the ERC. In the absence of hours for the deadline to close, on Friday at 2:00 p.m., the Republicans are studying presenting an amendment to the entirety of the bill, according to sources from the formation. Oriol Junqueras's party denounces the Government's immobility in two essential issues for them: the reform of the crime of sedition and the unblocking of the housing law. If Pedro Sánchez wants to get the necessary numbers he is going to have to work hard with the Catalan group, even more than last year when the agreement was only possible after closing the audiovisual law.
The Sanhedrin that is studying the amendment to the totality does not spend half a week in Madrid. This time who leads is Barcelona, at the Calabria headquarters. The Esquerra leadership, therefore, has taken the controls and the parliamentary group in Congress will act as a mere "auctioneer", a football term used this Thursday by a Republican leader. In Catalonia they are clear that a handshake in the capital with Sánchez at a pre-election moment has its risks. ERC sees an election just around the corner where it aspires to achieve a historic result and has just broken its relationship in the Government with Junts. Everything is very recent and there are mayors who are going to play the elections with the postconvergents, the PSC and the Commons who are pressuring the leadership to mark their own profile.
The negotiations with the Government, which has been optimistic in the last hours after a meeting, are getting complicated, indicate from ERC. "The internal anger is getting worse and worse," they say. The Executive, with Félix Bolaños at the head, has already sounded out the disposition of its usual partners. But this time the scenario in which the talks are taking place is different. In Esquerra they claim to be “fed up with good words and few commitments”.
Looking askance at the appointment with the May polls, ERC tries to pressure the Government to unblock the announced reform of the crime of sedition, frozen sine die, and link the dejudicialization as far as possible to a budget agreement. Republicans would welcome Sánchez's progress on a compromise, because the legislature is entering its home stretch and there isn't much time left. But the decision is risky for the PSOE, which also plays everything for everything in territories where such a move could harm them. If the pardons had to be explained for months, reforming the Penal Code months before going to the polls has its contraindications.
The housing law is also an ERC requirement that has crept into the negotiations. The Republicans are looking for an agreement that can validate the Catalan norm, currently appealed before the Constitutional Court. There are two especially controversial points: the limitation of all rents and the prohibition of any type of eviction without a housing alternative. For Esquerra, this law would be a social advance that could defend its bases beforehand.
Regarding the lack of progress in the budget negotiation, the ERC spokesman in Congress, Gabriel Rufián, assured this afternoon in a message on social networks that "the PSOE to this day continues not to fulfill its own commitments." Another leader is even clearer: "Help us, the bad guys from Bolaños are coming, it's no longer worth it."
The numbers without ERC would be much more accurate. Sánchez is used to approving his budgets with large majorities, except for the stumble in 2019 when, after the ERC's refusal, he had to call elections. But the Government would have an option to carry them forward without the Republicans. PSOE, United We Can, PNV, EH Bildu, PDeCAT, Más País, Compromís, Teruel Exists, PRC, Canarian Coalition and the deputy attached to the mixed group, María Pita, would add 176 votes. But that is another negotiation.
The amendments to the totality, by the way, are voted as a block, so the Government would have to have the numbers to reject the 'noes' to the budgets and overcome the first vote in the Chamber.
