The president of Congress, Francina Armengol, went to the Zarzuela Palace around 1:00 p.m. to learn about the king’s proposal on the appointment of a new candidate for the presidency of the Government, who is expected to be Pedro Sánchez.
Following the round of consultations with the leaders of the political parties that have obtained parliamentary representation after the elections of July 23, Felipe VI today communicates his decision so that the new candidate can undergo an investiture debate.
Meeting of the king with Sánchez and Feijóo
The king met first with the acting President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, and later with the leader of the PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, as the party with the most votes, and both meetings lasted around one hour and twenty minutes.
Today will be the second appointment made by Felipe VI after last week the vote that was to invest the leader of the PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, the first candidate proposed by the monarch after having obtained the majority of votes, failed.
The president of Congress has moved to Zarzuela from the Congress of Deputies and upon her return she will offer an institutional statement to explain what the decision of the head of state has been, although it is not foreseeable that she will reveal a new investiture date.
And Sánchez needs to obtain the necessary votes to be invested as president and in this sense negotiations continue with the Catalan independentists, especially to have the yes of the 7 Junts deputies.
The investiture opens a period full of uncertainty that has a deadline of Monday, November 27, for the acting President of the Government to achieve his objective or have to go to the polls again.
First round of consultations yesterday
At the end of the interviews, which began yesterday, Monday, with UPN, CC, PNV, Sumar and Vox, the head of state must decide whether to name Sánchez as a candidate to form a government after the PP leader failed in his attempt to last week.
The general secretary of the PSOE has expressed his objective of achieving re-election with a coalition government between his party, which has 121 seats, and Sumar, with 31.
However, the leader of Sumar and second vice president of the acting Government, Yolanda Díaz, warned yesterday after meeting with Felipe VI that the pact with the PSOE is green for now: “We are far from reaching that agreement.”
In addition to the votes of Sumar and the PNV, Sánchez needs those of Junts, ERC, EH Bildu and BNG, who have refused to meet the monarch, as they did on August 21 and 22, in the first round he called after the general elections of the July 23th.
The two Catalan independence parties demand that Sánchez approve an amnesty law for those convicted of the process and advance the recognition of the right to self-determination to hold a new referendum.
By Usmana Kousar
