The electoral campaign longest in recent history is about to start. This Monday, September 5, the two main Spanish politicians, Pedro Sanchez and Alberto Nunez feijoo, will undertake a race that will end, in 16 months, after the municipal, regional and general ones, with a single winner. The President of the Government will start it with a dialogue with anonymous citizens in Moncloa, contrary to what he did just a year ago, when he surrounded himself with businessmen in an act at the Casa América in Madrid. That most ceremonious photograph, between ties and in a posh place, will be, instead, the one that Feijóo offers in a conference in a room full of members of the patronal Y diplomats at the Hotel Villa Magna on Paseo de la Castellana.
The socialist leader will underline the “social & rdquor; of his Government before some popular that he sees more concerned about the businessmen
these acts they are the appetizer of the main dish of the week: on Tuesday afternoon in the Senate, the two leaders will star in their first debate, which will deal, according to the framework established by Sánchez, on “the energy saving and management plan & rdquor; approved by the Executive that has to be completed, in the coming weeks, with a second package of measures. The Conservatives wanted it to be a debate of general Policy, but the Moncloa circumscribed it to the energy issue, in which the socialist politician is obtaining international successes with “the Iberian exceptionality”, which put a limit on the price of gas that now the European partners want to copy. At the PP headquarters he doesn’t worry too much: “If he believes that with the megawatt hour to more than 400 euros and with international politics he is going to win votes, he is wrong”, points out an adviser to Feijóo.
The session of the Upper House will allow us to see two leaders who will be sold as the best choice to try to get out of economic and social crisis caused by Russia’s war in Ukraine. The head of the Executive will take advantage of the aid packages approved this year to alleviate the consequences of the conflict in the pockets of citizens. And, according to government sources, Moncloa is studying in recent hours some “more surgical” measures to help the groups that are accepting the rise in fuel and electricity the worst. “The reduction of VAT on electricity and gas [esta última anunciada pero no aprobada] benefit everyone equally, but we are aware that we must take even more care of those who they are having a worse time&rdquor ;, affirms a source from the Ministry of Finance. German Chancellor Olof scholzannounced this Sunday energy bonds of 300 euros for retirees and 200 euros for students.
The head of the Executive will elaborate on the fact that his Government has as a priority to apply “social” measures that have an impact “on the majority of the population”, point out Moncloa sources. “It cannot be that when we try to tighten the nuts to the banks and energy companies they [los del PP] always go out protecting them,” they say in the Department of the Treasury.
The head of the opposition believes that the debate is a sign that Moncloa needs to “shorten & rdquor; the distances that the surveys show
Advantage for the president
Sánchez plays with an advantage in the debate because he has unlimited time To intervene. Instead, Feijóo will have the initial 15 minutes to present his energy program and, later, five more to give the reply to Sánchez. The leader will highlight the “economic management successes & rdquor; of the PP governments and will contrast them with a coalition Executive that considers that it is going to “slipstream & rdquor; from other countries and to which he blames “lack of anticipation & rdquor ;. “Not to mention the chaos that lives in there with those of United We Can and with its parliamentary partners& rdquor ;, says a member of the leader’s economic team.
Feijóo will insist that the drop in VAT on gas from 21% to 5% announced by Sánchez on Monday is his idea and will encourage him to “continue copying” his proposals, above all, he will tell him, the deflation of personal income tax. That is: modify the first sections of that tax to mitigate the impact of inflation if, after the salary increase, it has jumped from step. The Basque Country, governed by the PNV with the support of the Socialists, has already deflated personal income tax twice this year.
In Genoa, they consider that, if Sánchez has given in to debating with Feijóo, it is because he feels “urged to do something to shorten the distances in the surveys“, affirms the advisor of the Galician politician. “They are nervous, they have been very noticeable with the insults they are throwing at him this summer. We, on the other hand, are not going to change the forms or the substance, because we are going to continue making proposals,” he adds.
“If he believes that with him megawatt hour to more than 400 euros and with international politics he is going to win votes, he is wrong”, points out an adviser to Feijóo
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In this sense, the head of the conservatives announced this Sunday in ‘La Razón’ that he will propose creating a background to help companies in which energy is decisive for their future viability. It will also return to claim a pact of saving of public sector [modificación de potencias, renegociación de contratos, sustitución por energías renovables…] and will request that the useful life of nuclear power be extended.
The conservatives do not see a possibility of “rapprochement” with Sánchez. “There is no personal harmony, but above all what there is is no desire to agree with the PP. It will be that the problem is not the PP, but him,” they lament in Genoa.