Sánchez and Rufián clash over the future of the legislature amid fear of a PP and Vox majority: "People are playing with their living conditions"

The plenary session in the Congress of Deputies restarted this Wednesday with the migratory crisis in Ceuta at the center of the debate. In this regard, the opposition has criticized the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, for his management of the massive entry of people into Spanish territory. In his turn, the ERC spokesperson in Congress, Gabriel Rufián, focused on the electoral scenario depicted by some polls and the possibility that PP and Vox jointly reach 210 seats. "People are playing with their living conditions," the republican reproached him.

The republican leader questioned Sánchez's dismissal of this scenario and warned of the consequences that, in his opinion, an eventual majority of both formations would have. Rufián pointed out that the maintenance of public services would be at stake and insisted that citizens are playing with "their living conditions," while parties only face the future of their respective acronyms.

During his speech, the ERC spokesperson also doubted that the Executive could exhaust the legislature, as Sánchez maintains, and demanded that the president explain with what support he intends to continue governing. "With whom will he add up - never better said - how will he be able to?" Rufián asked.

The republican extended his warning beyond public pensions, education, or healthcare. In his opinion, a parliamentary majority of PP and Vox would also mean a blow to the political representation of Catalonia, Euskadi, and Galicia.

Sánchez claims the Government's continuity

Sánchez responded by defending his intention to maintain the Executive's course and exhaust the mandate. Against Rufián's warnings, the president opted to move forward with government action and summarized his position in the need to "continue advancing, making our way as we go."

The head of the Executive agreed with "part" of the diagnosis presented by the ERC spokesperson on the evolution of the Spanish right. Specifically, he pointed out that the entry of Vox into the political scene and the "right-wing shift" of the PP have caused a transformation of the conservative space, a situation that, as he exemplified, has also been reflected in the debate on the democratic memory law.

Sánchez has warned that this evolution could end up "questioning alternation, opening the doors to an involution in all areas." The president has also placed the discourse of the PP leader, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, as another example of this drift.

In this regard, he has accused Feijóo of constantly resorting to judicial threats against his political adversaries and has argued that public debate should not be moved to the courts. "Always threatening to jail" and he added: "There is no political discussion, there are judicial threats, the judicialization of politics, and then it turns out that we are the ones who question the independence of justice."