They go ahead with the support of ten parties that represent 188 yeses compared to eight that add up to 159 noes while Otegi confirms that PSOE and UP could not govern without the support of those who want to “leave Spain”
With a large majority made up of the two parties that support the Governmenttheir pro-independence allies, abertzales and nationalists, left-wing minorities and regionalist formations, the Congress has already given its yes to the draft General State Budget for the year 2023. The public accounts will now go to the Senate, a Chamber in which there will be no setbacks, and will be ready for its entry into force on January 1. With this green light, Pedro Sánchez, who has only gone to the Chamber for the last votes, receives a decisive boost to exhaust the legislature.
The president has managed to carry out his third Budgets with 188 votes in favour, 159 against and one abstention. In short, they are 21 votes more than those he achieved in his investiture debate. On that occasion, the balance was 167 votes in favor, 165 against, and 18 abstentions. Now, betting on public accounts, the PSOE, Unidas Podemos, a former deputy dwelling what happened to Mixed Group, PNV, Coalicin Canaria, PRC, Ms Pas, Comproms, PDeCAT, ERC and Bildu. Against have been positioned PP, Forum, the two former UPN deputies, Ciudadanos, Vox, Teruel Existe, CUP and Junts. The BNG has opted for abstention. The ‘yes’ has added the same support to that achieved by the 2021 and 2022 Budgets, which accounts for the solidity of the diverse range of groups that the coalition government manages to bring together.
All the formations that have supported the public accounts have obtained cessions from the Government in exchange for their votes. Mainly those made to the Catalan and Basque independence movement stand out -ERC and Bildu- essential with their 18 votes. The coordinator of EH Bildu, Arnaldo Otegi, has revealed it black on white. According to him there would be no “Government of progress in the State” without the support of the leftist forces that want to “leave” Spain. In the negotiation of the 2022 accounts, the PNV was the group that scored the preferred partner label; in the Budgets for 2023 this medal is hung by the Catalan republicans and the abertzales.
If the concessions had not been made, the majority that today approves the accounts would not have been satisfied because the Budget project came to Congress weighed down by serious misgivings from national and international organizations that have labeled its forecasts as not very credible; due to the discomfort, which has finally faded, of the Executive’s minority partner due to the increase in defense spending and the very deficient execution of the investments committed last year.
The concessions were only halted when the Government verified that it already had sufficient support. That happened at the beginning of the week when they revealed the meaning of their vote Bildu and the PDeCAT. Thus, for example, the seat of Teruel Existe stopped importing and its demand to lower the prices of companies in depopulated territories by 10 points was not met. Your deputy, Toms Guitarte, has announced his ‘no’ this morning. The same has happened with the BNG. Their requests for more railway investment in Galicia have been rejected. His vote, consequently, has been, like last year, an abstention.
The Government has defended its accounts as the most social in history, a flag that all the Executives of democracy have raised when they have publicized their respective budget projects. On this occasion, spending skyrockets to include the revaluation of pensions in accordance with the CPI and the payment of the public debt, in addition to increases in practically all items – dependency, health, education, defense, TVE, CIS… – with notable exceptions, such as the one destined to the King’s House which remains frozen.
Proposals outside the PGE
The negotiation of the Budgets in Congress has been crossed, complemented and seasoned with other proposals outside the public accounts but which have been decisive when it comes to tilting votes in favor. Three key examples: The repeal of sedition, ERC’s fundamental demand; the transfer of the powers of Traffic to Navarra, express request of Bildu or the inclusion via amendment in a bill of a new tax on large fortunes, as claimed by the formations located more to the left. All this has been added to a multiplicity of agreements of an investor nature and transfer of millions typical of budget negotiations. Thus, the PNV has achieved with its amendments commitments for 80 million; Bildu gets 43 and ERC 1,050.
The approval of the public accounts with the 188 votes that endorse them offer the President of the Government a path, if not expeditious, then quite free of obstacles to reach the elections, first regional and municipal elections in May and, later, the general ones in end of 2023 coinciding with the semester of the Spanish presidency of the Council of the European Union. It will be then when the endorsement of political management remains in the hands of the ballot box.
The Budgets that will be in force next year include social spending of 274,445 million euros, including European funds. If these aids are excluded, the figure stands at 266,719 million. The largest item is that of pensions with 190,687 million euros, which grows by 11.4%.
For policies aimed at youth, 12,741 million are reserved, 13.2% more than in 2022 and this package includes the youth rental bonus of 250 euros or the cultural bonus of 400 euros for those who turn 18 in 2023, in addition to an increase for scholarships.
Special expenses are also contemplated to counteract the high inflation derived largely from the war in Ukraine. There, measures such as free travel in Cercanas, Rodalies and Media Distancia or the greater resources for the thermal social bonus are contemplated.
Source: www.elmundo.es
