Carles Puigdemont, between the abyss and PP's temptation: trapped in his own trap

The crisis in President Pedro Sánchez's Government due to the corruption scheme in PSOE has reached a dizzying speed. The provisional imprisonment of Santos Cerdán and the Supreme Court's suspicions pointing to the highest levels of the socialist leadership greatly complicate Sánchez's future. Meanwhile, PSOE is pressuring the President to make more drastic decisions, and Feijóo has taken an unprecedented step.

PP's leader has contacted PNV and Junts directly to assess their willingness regarding a possible motion of no confidence. This isn't the first time he has hinted at this possibility, but he had never before addressed Sánchez's partners directly. The reason for this change could be the doubts that have emerged in recent days within Junts.

Carles Puigdemont was key to President Pedro Sánchez's investiture, and he is also key to the continuity or fall of his Government. His support for PSOE, which seemed unbreakable when the Santos Cerdán scandal broke out, is not so clear today. In Waterloo, they are beginning to believe that keeping Sánchez alive will come at too high a cost.

Puigdemont's dilemma

Within Junts, the idea has taken hold for some time now that the agreement with PSOE was a major strategic mistake. They believe that Puigdemont has played at destabilizing Spanish politics and has ended up trapped in the bloc of losers. What's worse is that he has a difficult way out.

On one hand, there are the polls, according to which Junts is sinking a little more every day. His support for President Pedro Sánchez's allegedly corrupt Government is causing obvious erosion. To make matters worse, his main demands, such as Catalan in Europe and amnesty, have become bogged down.

But on the other hand, there is the risk of letting the Government fall, a possibility that causes enormous vertigo for Puigdemont. Junts's president has always maintained that they don't care whether it's PSOE or PP, but he knows that's not really the case. Supporting Sánchez doesn't have the same costs as making a deal with a party that goes hand in hand with Vox.

Trapped in his own trap

Puigdemont is currently trapped in his own trap. For the first time, he is seriously considering the possibility of supporting a motion of no confidence, and he is calling on Feijóo to meet with him in Waterloo. Is he bluffing, or does he truly believe the time has come to explore a change?

The problem with breaking with Sánchez is that he risks losing everything he has gained so far, and the mere possibility of a PP-Vox government terrifies Junts's supporters. The strategy of making deals has led Puigdemont to a difficult crossroads, where whichever way he chooses, he is likely to lose. Now he must choose the least bad option, and that requires radical changes.

The former president is torn between letting himself be dragged along by President Pedro Sánchez, which brings him to the edge of the abyss, or giving in to Feijóo's temptation. Meanwhile, he is buying time by challenging Feijóo to go to Madrid. But his silence in recent days reveals growing nervousness in Waterloo.