The far-right Vox imposes "national priority" as the price to approve the Valencian budgets

The "national priority" of Vox once again ignites the budgets of the Generalitat Valenciana. The spokesperson for the far-right in Les Corts, José María Llanos, assured this Monday that the accounts of Juanfran Pérez Llorca will be “the first in all of Spain” to expressly include this principle, with effects in areas such as social services or access to housing.

The message comes in the midst of the amendment process and leaves the PP in an uncomfortable position. Vox's far-right needs to appear as the one setting the pace for the Consell, and the Valencian Popular Party tries to reduce the image of dependence. Llanos has been clear in conditioning his group's support: if Pérez Llorca wants to approve the budgets, "national priority" will have to appear in the accounts.

The clash has a history. When the Consell presented the budgets, the Minister of Finance, José Antonio Rovira, defended that this concept was not included in the text because public accounts were “numbers” and spoke of “roots” as an alternative formula. Vox never bought that semantic shift. This Monday, it has registered 115 partial amendments and maintains that many are negotiated with the PP, although the popular deputy Mari Carmen Contelles has denied that both groups have already sat down to agree on them.

The far-right links its demands to three blocks: national priority, security and immigration, and housing. Among its proposals are items to double international cooperation funds in migratory matters, create a line of 2.5 million for the return of former foster minors, reinforce aid linked to rent, and reformulate public offices under the framework of “roots and return”. All of this places the PP before a delicate vote: accept Vox's framework or risk the accounts derailing.

The PSPV tries to shield the accounts against discrimination

The PSPV-PSOE has registered 4,032 partial amendments, a record number, with a clear political objective: to force the PP to take a stand on Vox's demand. The socialists want to introduce an alternative wording in each department to prevent "national priority" from functioning as a criterion for access, selection, or award in aid, subsidies, contracts, or public agreements.

In social services, the socialists propose to state in writing that policies must avoid criteria contrary to equality and the prohibition of discrimination based on nationality. In healthcare, furthermore, they demand to reinforce public care for all people living in the Valencian Community and to better control referrals to private centers, with monthly reports on how much is paid to each center and which tests or interventions are outsourced.

The socialist spokesperson, José Muñoz, has criticized accounts that, in his opinion, respond to Pérez Llorca's interest in consolidating himself as a PP candidate and in satisfying Santiago Abascal. The PSPV has also dubbed the budgets "Erasmus budgets" due to their limited execution margin before the end of the fiscal year.

Compromís responds with "Valencian priority"

Compromís will present more than 1,000 partial amendments and proposes a fundamental political amendment to Vox's framework. The coalition contrasts "Valencian priority" with the national priority of the far-right and accuses Pérez Llorca of "buying the entire framework" from Abascal to push through his first accounts.

Compromís's amendments focus on education, health, housing, social services, DANA, environment, agriculture, culture, humanitarian aid, and the Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua. Joan Baldoví has argued that the Consell's budgets do not respond to the needs of Valencians, but to the political urgencies of the president and Vox.

Among their proposals are reinforcing the air conditioning of educational centers, protecting public housing, expanding the affordable rental stock, and allocating funds from bullfighting festivities to those affected by the DANA. They also propose redirecting cultural aid towards Valencian audiovisuals and reserving humanitarian aid for Venezuela and Palestine.

The negotiation now enters the key phase. Vox boasts of having imposed the word that the PP avoided just a few weeks ago. The PSPV and Compromís seek to turn that concession into the great debate of the accounts. Pérez Llorca needs to approve his budgets, but the political price is being set by the far-right.