Europa Press Pedro Sánchez, on sale to weather the crisis
Millions rain down in an attempt to divert attention, while Ayuso is confirmed as Sánchez's opposition
President Pedro Sánchez is cornered by corruption scandals, so he has pulled out the checkbook. The forum has been the Conference of Presidents, which has been especially tense this time. The president of the Community of Madrid has left the room following the interventions in Catalan and Basque by Illa and Pradales, respectively.
In any case, the language controversy has been secondary compared to the outright rejection by PP leaders of Catalonia's unique financing. As expected, Salvador Illa has taken the opportunity to defend the new fiscal regime for Catalonia. Ayuso has been especially combative on this issue because she knows that at some point it will result in more tax pressure for Madrid citizens.
Meanwhile, President Pedro Sánchez has called for leaving "tension" behind because otherwise "this meeting will serve little purpose." In fact, he has told the regional presidents that he has no intention of calling general elections early. What he is going to bring forward is more spending.
To begin with, he has announced €175 million for a new early childhood education program for low-income families. In this regard, he has also criticized the proliferation of vocational training centers. This is a clear attempt to divert attention because, not long ago, he also criticized private universities.
Housing: money and more money
Although the main topic of the day has undoubtedly been housing. President Pedro Sánchez has stuck to the political script: promising spending and more spending, specifically €7 billion. This promise—identical to the one Illa made in Catalonia—comes on the same day that it was revealed that housing prices soared by 12.2% (12.2%) in the first quarter of the year.
President Ayuso has also been critical of this new measure. In her view, it's just a smokescreen that invades powers, is improvised, and lacks budgetary support. Ayuso thus confirms herself as the most prominent popular voice in the strategy of outright opposition to sanchismo.
In short, the Conference of Presidents has only served to stage the partitocratic crisis of Spanish politics. In the background, PSOE's corruption leaves the government with little room for maneuver. What many are wondering is whether President Pedro Sánchez is preparing a response or if all he has left is the checkbook.
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