Winning in politics is acquiring wealth or increasing it, for example, adding 48 seats to 137 like the PP on 23-J. But winning is not winning in our parliamentary democracy. Winning is holding, defeating, surrendering the adversary, prevailing, twisting the rival as the PSOE achieved with its 121 deputies, exceeding expectations. It is often said that he who governs wins, because he who is president wins thanks to a majority. 178 who said no to Feijóo and 179 who could say yes to Pedro Sánchez, depending on the Canarian Coalition's key. He who obtains the political victory wins.
The investiture of Alberto Núñez Feijóo was, in any case, very original. And not so much because of its echoes of a motion of censure, but because for the first time in our history, Congress has invested an opposition leader in a solemn session. And this is very unique since Felipe González invented for Manuel Fraga the status of first opponent, appearing since 1983 in the State's precedence at number 15. EH Bildu said it, clearly, with his “resounding no” to the candidate: “He “We will invest as leader of the opposition.” And they were right.
Does it come out better than it came in? Yes. She achieved what Pablo Casado never achieved: Sánchez's nemesis status. He was solid and confident. Much better without papers (like Sánchez). Without the feral balms of the samurai who meditated in Sanxenxo, Mariano Rajoy, but enjoying his Galician sarcasm. The session was not a failure for Feijóo. He improved his relative position in an operation with which he recovered internal authority in the PP and external authority in the chamber. Visualizing his 172 favorable votes and arriving alive at the end of the electoral cycle: the super June of 2024 with European, Basque and Galician women. His government program was, yes, weak and inconcrete. And he must be very careful with who writes to him and not only because of errors in data handling. He spoke of a new crime: “constitutional disloyalty.” Beyond his non-loyalty to article 122 in the renewal of the CGPJ that many recalled, the breach could have been considerable if someone had amplified that it could be a copy of the 1961 law with which precisely the Franco regime pursued disloyalty. A very dangerous slope.
Sánchez won. Like Sun Tzu, without fighting. Is it arguable that he didn't offer face-to-face? Yes. There was with Rajoy in his failed investiture in 2016. But if something in politics is questionable, it is that it is not indisputable. And the “entry” of my friend Óscar Puente allowed him to continue governing the central political concept: “amnesty.” Without saying anything. The thing about Puente reminded me of when Clemente in 1996 made goalkeeper Molina debut in a Spain-Norway match as a field player. He didn't do it wrong. There were quality details and, of course, some mistakes. It was an investiture of words and silences. With a yes that was no from the socialist Herminio Rufino Sancho Íñiguez. Paco Salazar's smile, next to him, said it all. Calm. After the “step” of the “winner” (Feijóo) comes the “victor” (Sánchez).
