the two disputes that Congress will wage in the debate with Sánchez

taketonews

03/01/2022 at 22:42

CET


The president, Pedro Sanchezwill be found this Wednesday at the Congress a less irascible environment than usual, but that does not mean that the debate on the Ukraine war will be calm for him. The PP, the main opposition party, has expressed strong support for the government, which will undoubtedly contribute to lowering the decibels of the parliamentary volume, which is almost always noisy. It is more than likely that the most fervent and exaggerated criticism will be made by Vox. It is not possible to expect resentment from Cs, quite the contrary.

The paradox is going to occur, in the Chamber of Congress, that the strongest oppositionand possibly the most damaging, comes from the preferred parliamentary ally. CKD, since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, has been against military escalation, as has EH Bildu, which is not such a preferred partner although it has taken on a notable role in the last year due to its commitment to strengthening the social calendar. In United We Can, the decision is to support the president, even on the most controversial side for a formation that has anti-war in its DNA: the sending of weapons.

Precisely this question is going to become the focus to which all the groups turn, given the expectation that during the last 24 hours the president’s determination to send weapons through a European fund has acquired. The foreseeable new measures aimed at mitigate the safe energy and economic effects of the invasion. Months of soaring prices are ahead. In this field, the opposition from the right will hit the president harder, dialectically speaking.

The debate on the war in Ukraine, which does not entail a vote, will also illuminate scenic issues that current affairs and the PP have fostered. One has to do with the leadership of the popular, now in the hands of Cuca Gamarra after the convening of the extraordinary congress that will culminate with the renewal of the national leadership. Throughout the month of March, the deputy from La Rioja will be general coordinator and parliamentary spokesperson. For 31 days she will be the most authoritative voice of her party. This Wednesday has its premiere as such. Likewise, Inés Arrimadas, president of Cs, will be absent, since she just gave birth to her second child.

And a symbolic detail no less. The Presidency of Congress reported that Meritxell Batet has invited the charge d’affaires of the Ukrainian Embassy to the rostrum.

Weapons in Ukraine

Sánchez announced in an interview on TVE that Spain will put weapons in Ukraine, but it will not do so bilaterally, but through the European Fund for Peacean instrument with which for the first time most Member States will buy weapons. 450 million make it up; the Spanish Government will mobilize 45.

The military equipment to be purchased through this Fund will strengthen the capabilities of Ukraine’s armed forces, which are exposed to increasingly ferocious attacks from its Russian neighbors. The purpose has generated doubts in the parliamentary bloc on the left. Compromís deputy, Joan Baldoví, is the one who expressed himself with the most sincerity this Tuesday, at a press conference in Congress. “I’m going to be very honest and I’m going to do something that politicians don’t usually do: I have a lot of doubts. Weapons they only produce pain, suffering and deathbut I put myself in the place of a Ukrainian father or grandfather who has had to send his children away and I understand that statements are worth little and that he would prefer a weapon,” he stressed.

The Valencian has spoken out in favor of the measure, and therefore will support the Government, as will his bench partner Íñigo Errejón, leader of Más País. They both agree on importance of European coordination, what’s more. The Madrid deputy has requested, however, that the purchase of weapons through the EU fund not trigger a race to see which State sends which weapon to the Ukrainians. “The war goes on for a long time,” he has said, “and for that reason better sustained and planned efforts.” The diplomatic solution must be the priority.

This is shared by United We Can. So far no striking discrepancies have emerged, although Minister Margarita Robles has left some messages that she, according to her terms, has attributed to inexperience. To dispel susceptibilities, especially related to the role of NATO, the head of Labor, Yolanda Díaz, has extolled European unity on her Twitter profile, where she has launched the message that with more or less words has been emphasized in her group parliamentary. “It is time to unequivocally protect the Ukrainian people,” were her words.

Vladimir Putin It is at the center of the target of United We Can. Jaume Asens, president of the parliamentary group, has emphasized this, as well as the “legitimate defense” of the Ukrainian people, for which he has come out in defense of sending weapons at this time, although with a call for restraint. You have to avoid climbing at all.

Margaret Oaks. | EP

That is exactly what ERC is going to claim. Training sources, as soon as the Russian attack began, commented in conversation with this medium that their Red line It was going to be precisely the arms race. In EH Bildu they are even more diaphanous. “We do not share the hypothesis of military aid to Ukraine through the shipment of weapons,” say sources from the Basque formation. The other party in Euskadi, the PNV, is in favor of sending weapons through the continental mechanism.

The left, therefore, will show some cracks, but also the right. Why? Yes OK PP, Vox and Cs agree that the Ukrainians must be armed to defend themselves, it is more than likely that all three will stress that the European option may not be enough. They would then advocate bilateral shipments. In Ciudadanos they contemplate it; also the PDeCAT, whose deputy Sergi Miquel has wielded it openly.

Very high prices in Spain

EH Bildu sources warn of the risks of an unstoppable inertia towards war, since that would weaken the European economy.

All groups assume that the invasion will reduce energy autonomy, when it will not annihilate it. The Government is finalizing an ambitious package of legislative measures to cushion the sure rise in prices, derived from the problem that threatens the energy supply. The futures market predicts a 2022 of sky-high inflation and very hard on the pockets. It is already being noticed when it is time to fill the car tank or when the electricity bill arrives.

Yolanda Díaz has defended the action of her Government, since she intends above all to stop the Russian attack. “Once we achieve it, we will continue betting on the strategic and energetic autonomy European,” he added on his Twitter account. Asens has gone a step further. He has advocated a pact for an Ecological Transition State that guarantees that autonomy within the orbit of the State. Errejón has made a similar proposal.

The PP will put the accent on the inflationary pressure. Recently, Gamarra and his group registered a request for the appearance of Nadia Calviño.

refugees

The Government, the autonomous communities and the town councils are already working on the orchestration of the infrastructures and systems that will facilitate reception and asylum of Ukrainian refugees, expected to be in the hundreds of thousands. The president announced that those who already reside in Spain will have their status regularized as soon as possible so that they can easily access a job, social assistance and public health and education.

The PP will request this Wednesday that, in tune with Brussels, and as soon as possible, a humanitarian aid plan be established. The municipalities, autonomies and institutions governed by the PP are available. CKD and HD Bildu they will affect it. The PDeCAT It will also emphasize the streamlining of procedures for the reception of minors.



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