Former Spanish prime ministers Rajoy and González urge Pedro Sánchez to call snap elections

Calls for early general elections

Former Spanish prime ministers Felipe González and Mariano Rajoy appeared together on 2 October 2026 at the eighth edition of the Foro La Toja-Vínculo Atlántico in O Grove, Pontevedra. During a panel titled 'Dos miradas sobre España', moderated by journalist Lucía Méndez, both former leaders argued that current Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez should dissolve the legislature and call general elections. Rajoy, representing the Partido Popular, stated that the parliamentary arithmetic makes stable governance impossible. González, who led the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) government from 1982 to 1996, used irony to support the call while pointing to the government's legislative gridlock.

It has not been possible to govern for a long time, and for a long time it was necessary to dissolve parliament, call elections, and consult the people.

Budgetary impasse and governance criteria

Rajoy outlined three essential requirements to govern effectively: winning elections, maintaining a concrete program, and securing the parliamentary support necessary to pass legislation and state budgets. He noted that the central government has failed to approve a General State Budget during the current legislature, pointing out that the last approved budget dates back to 2022. According to Rajoy, the executive has circumvented regular parliamentary approval by modifying spending allocations through Council of Ministers agreements, redirecting approximately 80 billion euros. González added that during his own tenure, failing to command a parliamentary majority to pass budgets led him to call elections, arguing that demanding compliance with international law while failing to present domestic budgets is inconsistent.

If I say that elections must be called, they will not be called.

Proposals for a state pact on housing

The discussion coincided with parliamentary debate in Congress over royal decree laws on housing policy. Both former prime ministers argued that addressing housing access requires a formal state pact rather than partisan decree laws. González emphasized that housing remains the primary concern of citizens and noted that Sánchez's administration has held office for eight years. He maintained that after multiple years in power, an administration must take direct responsibility rather than assigning blame to predecessors. Both leaders agreed that any durable housing solution requires formal coordination among the central government, autonomous communities, and local municipal councils.

There is no solution if the administrations do not agree.

Coordination over territorial sovereignty

The dialogue also addressed foreign policy and territorial security, focusing on recent developments in Ceuta. Both leaders criticized Sánchez for failing to contact opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo to discuss the situation in the autonomous city. González described the event in Ceuta as an aggression against national sovereignty, while Rajoy classified it as an invasion of sovereign territory. Rajoy reiterated his support for a two-party consensus model between the PSOE and the PP, arguing that institutional dialogue across party lines remains necessary to address national crises.