Spanish Congress to vote on urging Sánchez to face a confidence vote after election demand again blocked
The Spanish Congress's governing body, controlled by the government and its allies, has blocked again a call for early elections but will allow a vote next week on a motion urging Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to consider submitting to a confidence vote.
The blocked election push
Earlier this week, the People's Party (PP) and the Catalan separatist party Junts simultaneously registered amendments to a PP motion that demanded the Congress call for early general elections. The Mesa del Congreso, the chamber's governing body where PSOE and Sumar hold a majority, vetoed those amendments on Tuesday, arguing that dissolving parliament is an exclusive prerogative of the Prime Minister. PP then registered a fresh three-point motion on Thursday, asking the Congress to declare its desire for immediate elections, demand the government's resignation, and, failing those, to urge Sánchez to hold a confidence vote.
- PP and Junts register amendments calling for early elections; Mesa blocks them.
- PP registers new motion with three points: elections, resignation, and confidence vote.
- Mesa partially admits motion, blocking election and resignation demands but allowing confidence vote request.
- Congress scheduled to vote on the non-binding resolution urging Sánchez to consider a confidence vote.
What the Mesa admitted
On Friday, the Mesa again rejected the first two points: the wish for early elections and the demand for the government's resignation. The third point, however, was admitted. It reads that the Congress "insta al Presidente del Gobierno a considerar la oportunidad de plantear una cuestión de confianza, de conformidad con la prerrogativa que le confiere la Constitución, atendiendo al carácter político, sin vinculación jurídica". That wording mirrors exactly the text Junts registered in February of this year, a previous initiative that was never voted upon after PSOE and Junts struck a deal.
Reaction and the Junts factor
The PP described the Mesa's partial veto as a "new outrage" by its socialist president Francina Armengol.
The party had said it would not understand if the newly redrafted wording were not admitted in full. Support from Junts was essential: the vote next week could show that a majority of deputies want Sánchez to put his premiership on the line.Once again, Francina Armengol is acting in the service of Pedro Sánchez, bending to his orders instead of safeguarding the interests of all representatives of the Spanish people in the Chamber.
What a confidence vote means
Under Article 112 of the Spanish Constitution, only the Prime Minister, after deliberation in the Council of Ministers, may submit his continuity to a congressional confidence vote. The motion now admitted is a political declaration with no legal force; Sánchez is not obliged to act. But a clear backing from the chamber would be a significant blow, especially as a series of corruption cases has eroded the government's standing. The PP aims to demonstrate that the executive no longer commands a working majority.
Next steps
The confidence-vote resolution will be debated and voted upon in the last ordinary plenary session before the summer recess, the week of 22 June. While its practical effect is nil, the parliamentary arithmetic, with PP, Vox, and Junts signaling their support, could formally underline Sánchez's isolation, adding to the pressure for an early return to the ballot box.
