Sánchez will not call elections this Friday and is "calm": the Government opens a "period of reflection" after the housing decrees fall

The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, will not call general elections this Friday after the defeat of the two housing decrees in the Congress of Deputies. According to Executive sources consulted by 'ElConstitucional.es', the president is "calm" and will open this weekend a "period of reflection" and listening with coalition partners and the forces that sustain the legislature. The possibility of an early election will be assessed within these conversations, without a decided call or a fixed date.

The purpose, these sources explain, is to examine what margin the Government has to move forward and under what conditions it would go to the polls if Sánchez chose to anticipate the elections. The president wants to find the most favorable political moment to make a decision of that scope. His interlocutors avoid considering the debate resolved and recall that the final word will be his.

This information coincides with what was advanced by the director of 'ElPlural.com', Chema Garrido, on the Televisión Española (TVE) program 'Directo al Grano'. The journalist has indicated that Sánchez remains "calm" and that there is no imminent election call, despite Junts' rejection. The defeat now forces a review of the parliamentary scenario, but the Government is preparing to do so over the weekend.

The consulted sources add that Moncloa maintains negotiations with Junts to try to regain their support and bring housing measures back to Congress. The early election that sectors of Sumar and Podemos propose has not become, for now, a decision of the Executive. The continuity of these contacts is part of the evaluation that Sánchez will make before resolving the future of the legislature.

PP, Vox and Junts overturn the decrees

The first decree, which included protection against evictions of vulnerable people and the extension of leases expiring this year, has been rejected by 178 votes against and 172 in favor. The Popular Party (PP), the far-right Vox, Junts and Unión del Pueblo Navarro (UPN) have prevented its validation. The second, on the automatic renewal of rental contracts, fell by 184 votes against 166, with the added rejection of the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV) and Coalición Canaria.

Before the votes, Sánchez asked to speak from the tribune to make a final appeal to the groups opposed to the measures. "I beg you to be brave and coherent," he demanded, after defending that the texts were the result of months of negotiation. "Do the right thing because history will judge you sooner than you think and with more forcefulness than you imagine," he warned.

The president acknowledged that the decrees would not solve the housing crisis on their own, although he maintained that they would help mitigate it. He also warned of the consequences of their repeal for millions of citizens and for confidence in institutions. "If that damage occurs, this time, the fault will not lie with the troika, nor the risk premium, nor the banks. It will lie with those who vote 'no' from their seat," he stated. A few minutes later, both texts were repealed.

Sumar accelerates its preparations

The defeat comes after 'ElConstitucional.es' revealed last night the internal pressure in Sumar for Sánchez to consider calling elections if the decrees fell. "The phones are burning", sources from the space told this newspaper. The discomfort reached both the parliamentary group and leaders integrated into the Government and was especially intense in Más Madrid, where continuing in the Executive was questioned if these measures were not approved.

The exclusive also anticipated that the Minister of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and Agenda 2030, Pablo Bustinduy, would defend the second decree with a speech of marked electoral content. This Friday he assured that in Sumar they will be "ready for anything" and has presented the next elections as a referendum on housing. The space will accelerate its conversations with a meeting this Sunday to study the scenario opened after the vote.

The second vice-president and Minister of Labor, Yolanda Díaz, has confirmed on Cadena SER that she has spoken with Sánchez, although she has avoided commenting on an early election. "As you know, that mission corresponds to the President of the Government. I have spoken with him and my discretion will be absolute", she declared. Díaz has not revealed whether she supports calling elections and has placed the priority on solving the housing problem.

Movimiento Sumar, Izquierda Unida, Más Madrid and Comuns face these conversations without an electoral brand or an agreed candidate for their joint candidacy. The federal coordinator of Izquierda Unida, Antonio Maíllo, has demanded to accelerate both decisions and close the political program. The preparation of this candidacy advances while Sánchez listens to his partners and evaluates his options.

Shouts of "general strike" in front of Congress

The vote has also been followed from the vicinity of the Chamber, where demonstrators from the housing encampment in Puerta del Sol have moved. After learning of the rejection of the decrees, hundreds of people demanded a "general strike" and returned to Sol amidst boos and protests.

Government sources believe that the housing mobilization could favor greater coordination of left-wing forces in view of future elections. This is one of the factors that will be evaluated in the weekend conversations, along with the parliamentary blockade and the possibilities of regaining support for the measures.

The protest has also reached the interior of Congress. A group of citizens located in the public gallery displayed signs for the right to housing and threw leaflets towards the seats at the end of the plenary session. "Vulture funds govern Congress", they shouted before being evicted by the Chamber's officials.