Pedro Sánchez transmits “optimism” about his chances of re-election to all the interlocutors with whom he has been meeting since the King commissioned him to assemble a parliamentary majority to support his investiture. “He knows that he has a difficult hill ahead of him, but he sees himself with the strength to climb it and reach the goal,” reveals one of those interlocutors.
And this was also recognized yesterday by Alberto Núñez Feijóo, after the meeting he had in Congress with the socialist candidate for re-election. “He sees himself as president of the Government,” revealed the leader of the PP. “What he did not tell me is how he is going to achieve it,” he warned.
Sánchez and Feijóo have nothing to agree on, despite the breadth of issues that would require a minimum consensus between the leaders of the two main parties. And in just 50 minutes they held a mere formality meeting, within the framework of the round of contacts that Sánchez maintains with the representatives of the parliamentary groups, except Vox, to assemble a majority for the investiture and legislature without the participation of the PP.
There was no hint of understanding in the meeting. And yes, mutual reproaches, thrown from one trench to another. It was the only thing they both could confirm. Forced smiles and an icy handshake staged the lack of connection. And, after the meeting, both parties reaffirmed their very distant positions.
In Moncloa there was irritation: “Enough is enough.” And Sánchez conveyed to Feijóo “the need to respect the electoral results of July 23, parliamentary democracy, and the majority will of the citizens to form a government of progress.”
Sánchez thus demanded “institutional respect for the Constitution” from Feijóo, after attributing to him the blocking of the renewal of the CGPJ, which is five years late. He also asked him for “respect for the national symbols, which belong to all Spaniards, and for the national holiday of October 12,” in addition to “containment in his desperate attempt to agitate the street,” according to socialist sources.
“The PSOE was absolutely respectful in Feijóo's investiture process, even though it wasted all Spaniards' time for more than a month. However, in the last two weeks the PP has called two demonstrations against Sánchez's investiture, in which the Head of State has been disrespected, and is now trying to make a partisan instrumentalization of the National Holiday of 12-O" , the socialists denounced.
Sánchez told Feijóo that the results of 23-J "are indisputable" and demanded that he "respect the PSOE's turn to articulate a parliamentary majority that allows the formation of a progressive government." “We are not asking for your support for the investiture, but we are asking for prudence in your actions and respect for the investiture process commissioned by the King,” the socialists stressed.
“We are not going to appeal to transfuguismo, as they did,” warned PSOE spokesperson Patxi López. “We don't ask for support, but we do ask for respect,” he concluded.
But Feijóo, in his appearance after the meeting, seemed surprised by these demands. Regarding the demonstration called last Sunday in Barcelona by the Catalan Civil Society, and the event held by the PP in the Plaza de Felipe II in Madrid, Feijóo replied that the only thing missing was that he could not hold political events, when Sánchez holds rallies every year. weekends. Furthermore, Feijóo alleged that both events were called before Sánchez was a candidate for the investiture.
The PP leader highlighted that, during the meeting, he did not get Sánchez to say the word amnesty, which he did mention “and repeatedly.” But he warned him “not to do it,” because it would be “a historic mistake” that would only serve to “promote the independence movement.”
Feijóo reiterated to Sánchez all the questions he asked him in his investiture speech, when the leader of the PSOE chose not to go up to the podium to reply to him. But he regretted that he did not receive a response yesterday either. “What are you going to do with the amnesty, what are you going to do about a possible referendum, and the ideological financing that the independentists are asking for?” were the unanswered questions.
For this reason, he demanded that Sánchez let the Spaniards speak at the polls, and on January 14 they can say whether they agree or not with the amnesty and the self-determination referendum. “What was previously silence, euphemisms and periphrasis,” in his quote yesterday was, directly, “nothing,” he criticized. And for this reason he demanded from Sánchez “honesty, that he call things by their name and that he not make excuses, because coexistence is not being sought.”
Feijóo told him that “if he is so sure” of what he is going to do and if he is so sure that it is better for coexistence, he should explain it to the Spaniards and let them speak out. At the polls.
