Pending summarization

The political situation in Spain has sharply intensified following Thursday's vote in the Congress of Deputies. The government's social shield failed to obtain the required majority, which calls into question the fate of 70,000 people at risk of immediate eviction. The Minister of Finance, María Jesús Montero, admitted that the government is now considering splitting the rejected decree into smaller parts to try to push through at least some of them in future votes. A key factor in the failure was the vote of the Junts per Catalunya party, which accused the government of waging an "ideological battle" against the interests of Catalonia. Despite the failure of broader reforms, the Congress officially passed the pension valorization law, setting new maximum and minimum rates for 2026. This is a rare moment of consensus in a highly polarized parliament. At the same time, deputies rejected a proposal to introduce a 15% tax relief in personal income tax (IRPF) for the purchase of electric vehicles. This decision has been met with sharp criticism from the automotive industry and distributors, who warn of a slowdown in the green transition and a loss of benefits for citizens. Spanish parliamentarism since 2015 has been characterized by a lack of stable majorities, which has forced the main parties to build complicated coalitions with regional and separatist groups.In the shadow of legislative defeats, Minister Montero announced a plan to equalize compensation for victims of terrorism, which is to include the family of Manuel García Caparrós, killed by police during a demonstration in 1977. The victim's family has been demanding for years that the state accept full responsibility for this event as part of its historical memory policy. Meanwhile, in Barcelona, the city council approved significant changes to local policy, rejecting a ban on wearing burqas and niqabs in public spaces, while simultaneously introducing a 50% discount on school canteen lunches for primary school and kindergarten pupils. „El Gobierno ha iniciado una batalla ideológica contra Junts tras su 'no' al escudo social” (The Government has initiated an ideological battle against Junts after its 'no' to the social shield) — Míriam Nogueras The political dimension of the government's failure was highlighted by Isabel Díaz Ayuso, head of the Community of Madrid, who called the vote result a "powerful blow" for the prime minister and questioned the sense of the cabinet continuing in the current balance of power. Tensions within the coalition and the difficult dialogue with Catalan separatists point to a growing parliamentary deadlock, which could prevent the implementation of social promises in the coming months.