Enrique Miguel Sánchez Motos
Senior Civil Servant
It is to be feared that the revolution that has caused Casado’s fall will fall short of renewing the PP. In Castile and León, the leader of this party intends to continue to play the fool, but the data are stubborn. In coalition with the 13 deputies of VOX, the PP can achieve a comfortable absolute majority of 44 deputies, higher than the 41 deputies it had before with its “traitorous” partner, the almost disappeared Ciudadanos. In 2019, the PP’s 29 deputies together with Ciudadanos’ 12 deputies reached just the 41 deputies needed for an absolute majority. Fernández-Mañueco then gave the Presidency of the Cortes to Ciudadanos and formed a coalition government with him in which Ciudadanos had the Vice-Presidency and also 4 Councillorships, leaving the PP with 6. It therefore seems only common sense that a similar offer would be the starting point for negotiating VOX support for a possible coalition government.
The leader of VOX in CyL, Juan García-Gallardo, has made it categorically clear that either they enter the government or Mañueco will have to call new elections, unless he wants to govern with the support or tutelage of the PSOE. Well, despite this, the PP insists that it wants to govern alone and is trying to make a fool of VOX, which, chastened by the failure to comply with the agreements signed in 2021 with García Egea, does not seem to be willing to be a partridge. García-Gallardo has his hand outstretched, but has firmly reiterated that he is not going to disappoint the voters who supported him with the commitment that he would not renounce entering the government if, as has happened, the votes gave him that opportunity.
Who is now the partridge? The PP itself, which can dizzy itself on the roof until it falls to the ground. Just the right amount of nonsense. Firstly, total respect for VOX and secondly, programmatic agreements. If there is no respect, there is no point in getting any more dizzy. It makes no sense to enter into negotiations, and negotiating means giving in, with a potential partner when they are told from the outset “let’s negotiate, let’s negotiate, but you are not going to be part of my government”. Faced with this stubbornness, VOX’s initial demand should be to obtain the Presidency of the Cortes, which may be short-lived, since if an absolute majority is not formed there will be new elections, but at least it would be a public gesture of respect that the PP would show to VOX voters.
Next, it is necessary to talk about principles and programmes, which is part of the ambiguous and imprecise area in which Casado’s PP has moved. The PP must emerge from these ambiguous, dark and dirty waters to show the true colour of its seagull. Casado’s semi-demission should be seen by Alfonso Fernández-Mañueco as an opportunity to reach the natural agreement with Juan García Gallardo that CyL is waiting for. To refuse to do so, as a starting point, is to gratuitously offend his likely coalition partner and his voters. Recommendation: Alfonso, you have a very Castilian name. Do not pretend to send Juan into exile. Remember that the Cid returned from it victorious. Don’t make the gull any more dizzy, it already looks too much like a partridge.
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