Political Crossfire Over Sánchez’s Debt Forgiveness and Military Spending

Wednesday 26 February 2025 - 16:37

Pedro Sánchez found himself in the middle of a political crossfire during the control session in the Spanish Congress, with both the right-wing PP and the left-wing Podemos targeting him. Alberto Núñez Feijóo, the leader of the PP, criticized the constant internal conflicts within Sánchez's government, the insults directed at the opposition, and the "fiscal hell" imposed on Spaniards to "pay their mortgages with independence," referring to the government's promise to forgive debt owed by Catalonia. Feijóo accused Sánchez of being condemned by his actions and compared his attitude to that of the German social democrats, willing to form a coalition government with the winning right-wing party.

On the other hand, Ione Belarra, the spokesperson for Podemos, focused on the government's stance on military conflicts, defense, and military spending. Belarra demanded that Sánchez explain if he was being "forced" by the Junts party to allocate billions of euros to military expenses and weapons. She further accused him of lying and being complicit in a genocide by allowing flights carrying arms to Israel. Belarra declared that the government's excuse had worn thin and criticized Sánchez for being weak and incapable of passing budgets. She warned him that he would be responsible for fascists entering the Moncloa Palace.

In response, Sánchez addressed both Feijóo and Belarra. To Feijóo, he argued that the country was progressing under his policies and pointed out that Spain's regional governments would no longer need to pay 83 billion euros thanks to the debt forgiveness plan. Sánchez warned Feijóo that he would be caught in his own contradictions and speculated that if the PP had formed the government after the 23-J elections, Spain would now have Abascal as vice president and González Pons as foreign minister. Sánchez urged Feijóo to break ties with those who wanted to break away from Europe and the far-right, drawing a parallel with the German right.

Between the interventions of Feijóo and Belarra, there was a brief pause for a question from Aitor Esteban, the outgoing spokesperson of the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV), who was leaving Congress to take over as party president. Esteban requested that the government reform the Official Secrets Act, a longstanding issue for the PNV. Sánchez praised Esteban, saying that Congress was losing one of its brightest parliamentarians.

While Sánchez expressed that Spain was a "constructive and participatory" country, contributing significantly to peace and enjoying international respect, the atmosphere soured during Belarra's intervention. In response to Belarra, Sánchez deflected attention away from military matters, highlighting his government's housing policy, Minimum Vital Income, the increase in the minimum wage, the bank tax, the tax on large fortunes, the Parity Law, and the state pact against gender-based violence. He concluded that his government was working for the majority.