Sanchez avoids responding to Feijóo during his inauguration speech
Madrid, Sep 26 (EFE).- The Spanish Prime Minister in functions, Pedro Sánchez, avoided responding to the investiture speech on Tuesday of the leader of the opposition Popular Party (PP), Alberto Núñez Feijóo, and left that task in the hands of the deputy of his party, Óscar Puente, thus lowering expectations in the turn of reply.
Neither the acting Spanish government nor the Socialist Party (PSOE) had clarified who would answer Feijóo in the first round. Finally, it was this socialist deputy and former mayor of the city of Valladolid (center) who was entrusted with the task.
After the initial intervention of the president of the PP, which lasted an hour and a half, the president of the Spanish Congress, Francina Armengol, gave the floor to Puente.
Although Sánchez did not use the PSOE’s turn to answer Feijóo, he can ask to intervene at any time during the debate since the Regulations of the Congress empower him to do so.
He could do so on Tuesday and Wednesday (when there will be the first vote on the investiture) or Friday, the day on which there will be the second vote, if, as is foreseeable, he has not achieved the necessary support in the previous one.
Feijóo will undergo today before the Spanish Lower House the first session of investiture to head the next Government of Spain after the general elections of last July 23 without having gathered enough support since he has 172 deputies out of the 176 that make up the necessary majority.
The PP obtained in the general elections last July 23 137 deputies, which is not enough to form a government, and Núñez Feijóo, in more than a month since he received the assignment from King Felipe VI, has not obtained enough support.
As of today, in addition to the deputies of his party, he only has 33 of the far-right Vox and another two of two regionalist parties, in total 172 votes in favor, but he has 178 against, so, unless there is a surprise, his inauguration will not go ahead.
Núñez Feijóo (62 years old) is the third PP candidate to undergo an investiture, after José María Aznar and Mariano Rajoy, both of whom were invested as president.
The debate began on Tuesday with a speech by the PP leader.
Then began the debate with the different political groups, from greater to lesser representation, until tomorrow, Wednesday, the vote will take place, in which the candidate must obtain the absolute majority of the Chamber (176 votes in favor).
If the result is negative, on Friday, 29, there will be a new vote. If the candidate does not get the necessary support, on this occasion, more yeses than noes, the investiture will fall. EFE
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