Nothing seems to be muddy —for the moment— the atmosphere of harmony that are projecting the president of the Government, Pedro Sanchez, and the second vice-president, Pablo Iglesias, at the start of the Executive coalition. Several ministers agree that the atmosphere of the first Council of Ministers was this Tuesday very good. Sanchez and Churches closed ranks in the first controversial decision, the appointment of Dolores Delgado as attorney general of the State. “Is impeccable,” said Sanchez. Churches backed him up —“I agree, of course”— in an interview on Antena 3.

The Executive starts trying to disprove some of the prejudices that have been installed on the coalition: that will be a chaos and that it will be short lived. Sanchez and Churches have conspired to clear together those ghosts and move an image of unity, harmony and strength that was unthinkable just a few weeks. The binge of images of the first Council of Ministers of the coalition served to reinforce that idea, with pictures, that looks to Sanchez hitting him affectionately on the back of the Churches, and both very smiling with all the other ministers. That staging in public, was repeated in private, according to several ministers. All was good atmosphere, among other things because this Tuesday there was little debate: the Executive only had good news to tell. As expected, the first measure of the first Council of Ministers was the rise of 0.9% of the pension, which had been left in abeyance pending that could form a Government. And the only point controversial of these first few hours, the appointment of the former minister of Justice Dolores Delgado, failed to generate any friction between Sanchez and church, because the leader of United we Can agree with that choice. So we moved it in private and then in public, in an interview on Antena 3, where he also showed his side conciliator with Sanchez and tried to convey that in the Government all is unity and harmony, at least in these first few hours.

Sanchez, who finally gave a press conference complete in The Moncloa after weeks of not taking questions, he wanted to make it very clear that the Executive is in a hurry to recover lost time and aims to exhaust the legislature. In fact, he has even counted the days —to 1,400— that would be if you achieved that goal, which seems overwhelming given the meagre majority of the that you have.

MORE INFORMATION

Pedro Sanchez climbs to the pension and he says he now not has “no reservation” with Churches in Pedro Sanchez and Quim Torra agree to meet after the formation of a Government Sánchez changed to Tuesday, the day of the Council of Ministers and calls the members of his Government to the unit

Sanchez declined to give details of the decisions you have to make in the next few days —especially the rise of the pay of the officers, the increase in the minimum wage or the spending ceiling— but he defended with firmness his controversial decision to appoint his former minister of Justice as attorney general. For the president, the curriculum of Delgado is “flawless” and “unquestionable”. Sanchez said that he has only asked the former minister “exercises his independence” to the front of the public ministry. Churches defended to the hilt to Thin and attacked the PP for his criticism of the appointment, despite the fact that the leader of We had been attacked previously to the now former minister by his relationship with commissioner Jose Manuel Villarejo. Delgado is also a member of the socialist party and campaigned for this match, but Sanchez and Churches insist that it does not have to limit your independence.

In the first row continued to appear for three socialist ministers, including the vice-president, Carmen Calvo, and the hard core of the Cabinet of Sanchez, with Ivan Redondo, chief of staff, Félix Bolaños, secretary-general of the Presidency, and José Manuel Albares, director of the international area. But it was not there Churches, a great protagonist of the day for the novelty of having for the first time a vice president Can sit to the left of the president.

After all that is said in the last few months, and that Sanchez would insist that Churches were the great obstacle to have a coalition, now the chairman ensures that, with the covenant that has been closed, do not have a “no reservation” with the leader of United we Can, nor with the agreement reached with this group. “On the contrary, I am proud. It is true that it is a new experience, but all the ministers are already of the Government of Spain and not of a political party”, he insisted.

Letter to the ministers

Sanchez launched harsh criticism of the opposition and demonstrated in every moment that you have intentions of giving battle and try to even exhaust the legislature if you can. The president criticized in particular the PP on its intention to block renewals of important organs such as the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ). “Before I was called squat. Now discuss our legitimacy. We feel fully legitimized as a Government. We ask that you recognize the outcome of the election. Attempted to block the policy, and now they want to block justice. There has to be a renewal, which is what they need, institutions like the Judiciary,” he reproached the president.

Before, Sanchez had sent a letter to all the ministers —which went public— in which there is a clear call to unity. “In the Council of Ministers, there are people of very different trajectories and backgrounds. We are a Government that is plural, but born with a firm purpose of unity. A Government that is enriched with various backgrounds, but have one goal; who will speak with several voices, but to issue the same message”. This will be a litany in the coming weeks, a kind of mantra that is repeated to ward off the ghost of the division to the Executive.

Date Of Update: 15 January 2020, 00:00