Yesterday, Junts once again dealt a harsh and unexpected blow to Pedro Sanchez. To demonstrate that the break with the Government is serious, the independence party announced that it will block by default all the Executive laws that are being processed or will be processed in the Congress of Deputies, where its seven seats have the power to decide which side the legislative coin falls on.
If Junts keeps its word, and it has already gone too far not to do so, the situation in the Lower House will be one of absolute deadlock. From now on, if Sánchez wants to approve any type of measure, he will have to rely on the PP or Vox, something highly unlikely by most standards. This movement has left the President of the Government without his own agenda and brings the possibility of an electoral advance irremediably closer. Although Sánchez already spoke of governing “with or without the assistance” of the Legislature, he cannot remain absolutely inactive until the end of the legislature, in 2027.
Junts’ announcement comes two weeks after Carles Puigdemont announced the breakdown of all negotiations with the PSOE. Among the pro-independence supporters there is a feeling that Sánchez and his people were not taking them seriously, because they practically did not react to his announcement. Miriam Nogueras He has been demanding Sánchez for days to “explain how he is going to continue governing” and in the face of the president’s silence this new pulse has appeared.
Junts sources explain privately that they are in a scenario of “absolute breakdown” and that they do not see any room to channel the relationship with the PSOE. “There will be no dialogue, no negotiations. There is zero margin, none,” they insistently convey. However, they rule out joining a motion of censure with the PP and Vox. They know perfectly well that getting closer to the Spanish right can take the same toll on them in Catalonia, where they compete with Catalan Alliancewho until now have been Sánchez’s partners.
Post-convergent sources also assume that their pacts with the PSOE will never be fulfilled. Specifically, they have already assumed that Catalan will never be an official language of the European Union. They make a significant effort to convey that their blockade does not boycott these types of measures, but rather they are betting on the blockade because they see that it will never happen.
From Moncloa they insist on not reacting to the fuss of the post-convergents. “Hand outstretched, always. The Government maintains its open disposition to dialogue and understanding with all parliamentary groups willing to improve the lives of people, in Catalonia and in Spain as a whole,” say sources from the Executive. However, Junts’ blow can hit where it hurts most.
With the blockade, for example, the Government will not be able to carry out important parts of its program such as the democratic regeneration plan or the anti-corruption plan. Both are full of laws that need parliamentary processing, including some regulations that are already being processed and will remain blocked. Nor will it be able to comply with the agreements that exist with other formations, such as the coalition pact with Sumar or other specific pacts with its parliamentary partners.
It will not even be possible to approve social norms, which was Sumar’s main bet to try to overcome the veto of Puigdemont’s people, to present laws to which they simply cannot say no. This was the hope of some sectors of the left who hoped to gain ground with measures that could please their electorate. In addition to all this, the transposition of several European directives is also in danger, which could put the receipt of some European funds at risk.
Furthermore, the situation of absolute blockade reduces the margin for Pedro Sánchez to recover in the face of an electoral advance in mid-2026. Now, on the left, they are aware that going to the polls would lead to an unmitigated victory for the right. But if initiatives cannot be fought, the possibility of closing the gap is greatly reduced.
Despite this situation, some parliamentary partners of the PSOE consider that Sánchez should also present the Budgets, although it is assumed that they will not go ahead. Even before Junts slammed the door, it was a very complicated scenario, because Podemos requested measures that were practically impossible to comply with and Junts was not a reliable partner.
However, some partners believe that presenting them will force the parties to portray themselves and that the parliamentary defeat can be converted into a political victory. If, for example, there are many games for Catalonia, Junts will be the one who has to explain why it decides to knock them down. Even the PNVwhich is usually on the sidelines of the rest of the partners, asked two weeks ago to present the general accounts to try to somehow rebuild the parliamentary majority around a specific project. But every day it seems more difficult.