Pedro Sánchez and Pablo Iglesias Announce a Coalition Government for Spain
Spanish President Pedro Sánchez and Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias will form the first coalition government of the democratic era in Spain. Iglesias would become vice president of the Government, according to LPO. The two leaders have made the announcement in the Congress of Deputies in a joint statement that was sealed with a warm embrace. Both center-left leaders seek to show unity after the open war they waged during the government negotiations last summer. Iglesias has promised "loyalty" while Sánchez pledges " a four-year government".
The coalition government was forged in total secrecy less than 48 hours after the elections. On Tuesday afternoon Iglesias went to Moncloa Palace to meet secretly with the acting president, where they agreed to a vice presidency for the Podemos leader, as proposed by Iglesias himself.
[Steve Bannon's Signature After the Far-Right Surge in Spain]
The two leaders held a joint press conference in Congress in which they thanked each other. Pablo Iglesias also asked to put "the recriminations" behind. The leader of PSOE announced that with this pre-agreement he wants to form a "progressive government, stable and for four years".
In the coming weeks, both leaders will work on the program and government structure, which will only be revealed after Sanchez is inaugurated. The PSOE leader pointed out that "the agreement was not feasible during the previous elections and we are aware of the disappointment among progressive voters. The political project overcomes any kind of disagreement we may have had in recent months. Our country needs a new government that can get going as soon as possible".
The document includes the programmatic points on which PSOE and Unidos Podemos agree, according to their electoral programs. It is an open document so that, throughout this week, the remaining political forces can join together and advance the inauguration of Pedro Sánchez. The Socialists have announced meetings with the different groups this week, excluding Vox.
Pablo Iglesias, leader of Podemos and incoming vice president
Among the principal points of the agreement are "consolidating growth and job creation; working for regeneration and fighting corruption; fighting climate change; strengthening small and medium-sized enterprises and /the self-employed; recognising dignified death and euthanasia; ensuring culture as a right and promoting sport; promoting feminist policies; reversing depopulation; guaranteeing coexistence in Catalonia as well as fiscal justice and achieving budgetary balance".
The two leaders signed the pre-agreement to govern Spain, pending the support of the remaining groups. Iglesias said that "what in April was a historic opportunity had become a historic necessity". The leader of Podemos has buried his discomfort with the PSOE, asserting that "it is time to leave behind any recriminations and to work to improve the lives of our compatriots. Sánchez knows that he can count on our loyalty".
"This new government will be progressive because it will be integrated by progressive forces and because it will work for the progress of Spain. The only thing that will not be accommodated will be hatred and confrontation among Spaniards," Sánchez said in a clear allusion to his veto against Vox.
"Spain needs a stable government and it needs it now. Spaniards have spoken and their vote indicates a single path. I am grateful for the support of Iglesias and his party that marks the line of this government that is going to work for the progress of Spain and of those who need it", concluded the socialist leader, joining in a hug with Pablo Iglesias.
Both leaders were joined by the closest members of their respective teams on the fourth floor, a ball room in the Congress of Deputies building. A press conference announced just 30 minutes in advance, to the surprise of the journalists. The details of the future government will be advanced after the investiture to prevent controversy over the cabinet. Forty-eight hours after the fourth election in four years, the announcement represents a significant shift in Spain's political landscape.
The pact between Sánchez and Iglesias is a coalition formula that was already tried in the summer and, on that occasion, Pablo Iglesias was vetoed.
The PSOE leader is therefore fulfilling his commitment to reach an agreement within 48 hours of the general elections, where the socialists lost support and became 120 deputies, while Unidas Podemos dropped to 35. The combined forces would require the support of the independent deputies or Ciudadanos plus half a dozen minority forces. This last option is presented as more improbable given that in 2016 Podemos already rejected an agreement with Ciudadanos, a party that has no political leadership to reach political pacts.
During the summer two team of negotiators took the reins of the accords. This time there will be a smaller group of people involved, including Sánchez and Iglesias, as well as representatives such as Irene Montero and Iván Redondo, adviser to the acting president, who was present at Monday's meeting in Moncloa, and the Secretary of the Presidency, Félix Bolaños.
In recent weeks Sánchez justified the exclusion of Podemos from the Government by saying that many Spaniards "could not sleep peacefully". A statement that was the delight of Pablo Iglesias during the campaign and that now the acting president will have to retract.