PP explores a motion of no confidence against Pedro Sánchez while Junts remain silent

President Pedro Sánchez's government is facing decisive hours after the latest alleged corruption scandal. Audio recordings have been released in which a former socialist leader was maneuvering against the UCO to neutralize the cases against PSOE. Socialist leaders such as Miguel Lambán are asking President Pedro Sánchez to call elections to "put an end to this agony".

PP president and opposition leader, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, is exploring a motion of no confidence with President Pedro Sánchez's partners. ERC has already shown their loyalty to PSOE, closing the door to any such operation. PP's hopes are now focused on the position that PNV and Junts may take.

Carles Puigdemont's party, for now, remains silent. Waterloo distrusts a motion of no confidence that would force them to vote alongside PP and Vox. This would have obvious electoral costs, especially after Feijóo's diplomatic offensive against the official status of Catalan.

Remaining tied to a socialist government in crisis doesn't benefit them much either, but right now they see it as the lesser evil. Puigdemont is willing to keep Sánchez alive, at least until the amnesty is approved and the main investiture commitments are unblocked. Above all, the transfer of immigration powers and the official status of Catalan in the EU.

Junts wants to set a more critical profile than ERC, which once again has shown their servility toward the socialists. In any case, their silence at this hour of the afternoon shows the difficult position Puigdemont's group now finds themselves in.

a headache for Junts

It's striking that even Yolanda Díaz has spoken out before ERC or Junts to criticize PSOE for this new scandal. The separatist parties pretend the issue doesn't concern them. Junts feels especially uncomfortable, mainly because in this latest scandal, Santos Cerdán, the socialist leader who negotiated the investiture with Puigdemont, is implicated.

ERC's servile position benefits Junts, whose silence now can be interpreted as critical support for PSOE. The crisis in President Pedro Sánchez's government also harms ERC more than Junts, as it affects Salvador Illa's government.

President Pedro Sánchez's fall now would leave the post-convergents without power in Catalonia or Madrid. Moreover, the polls are not favorable to them and they don't even want to hear about elections until the next municipal ones in 2027. The directive from Waterloo is clear: distance themselves from Sánchez's problems and focus on achieving Puigdemont's amnesty.

taking advantage of Sánchez's weakness

Junts wants to take advantage of the Spanish government's weakness to speed up the fulfillment of the investiture agreements. They also don't want to push too hard, aware that pressure on Sánchez has now increased. In recent weeks, they've toned down their rhetoric and focused their criticism on PP.

The separatist parties are even considering taking steps toward approving the budget to provide some stability to the executive. They want to prevent Sánchez from calling early elections without having solved his commitments. 

On the other hand, however, being part of the Sánchez bloc harms Junts in their attempt to shift to the right. This leads to the contradiction of having to support Sánchez at all costs while voting with PP and Vox on economic and energy laws. For now, in the face of PSOE's corruption cases, Junts is turning a blind eye.

This gives President Pedro Sánchez some peace of mind, as he knows he has the lifeline of ERC and Junts no matter what happens. Meanwhile, the separatist parties are bleeding out in the polls.