At the very least, with the government against and Pedro Sánchez absent, Congress approved the designation of Edmundo González Urrutia as the winner of the Venezuelan elections and legitimate president of the country. It is also the first parliamentary defeat in the political career of the PSOE and Sumar, who have pledged not to recognize the political asylum seeker until the European Union does so and the electoral results are published.
They were missing 177 votes in favor, one above the absolute majority, and the crucial support of a PNV that refused to give the moral victory to the regime of Nicolas Maduro. The initiative, an illegal proposal promoted by the PP and supported by Vox, UPN and CC, marked the first major division between the government partners and the Basque nationalists, until then loyal to the coalition.
The problem is that it wasn’t just any topic. It was Venezuela and it’s chavismotwo of the great irreconcilables that divide the left and the right. It is not surprising that the only partner that supports the Venezuelan opposition is precisely the PNV, the most conservative of the investiture bloc.
Despite its obvious political relevance, the gesture of the Congress towards Edmundo González is a purely symbolic act and without legal valueThe official recognition of a president is the exclusive power of the government and does not require the approval of the Cortes, but rather of the Council of Ministers.
The PSOE ignores this issue and prefers to wait for a statement from the European Union. The socialists’ argument is that the new president of Venezuela – whoever he may be – will not take office until January and that there is therefore no need to rush. Furthermore, Moncloa fears repeating the situation of Juan Guaidó.
PSOE amendment
A few hours before arriving in the Chamber, the PSOE tried, without success, to avoid the first parliamentary failure and presented an amendment to the non-law proposal to soften it and fulfill its responsibilities. The socialists also included in the text the praise of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero for his mediation in the Venezuelan conflict, a proposal that the PP described as “indecent” and “unacceptable.”
Not so much the PNV, which saw in this project the last attempt to reach a broad agreement. Until practically the last minute, the formation jeltzale tried to build bridges with Alberto Núñez Feijóo – through Miguel Tellado… and convince him to support the PSOE amendment, but the most popular refused.
Sources from the Nationalist Party highlight the lack of dialogue within the Popular Party on this issue. In fact, they left their support pending until they heard the speech of Cayetana Álvarez de Toledo, spokesperson for the Popular Party, for fear that it would go off script. It did not, and his words generated praise as unexpected as that of Gabriel Rufián, of Esquerra Republicana.
Without the legislature
Upon his return from vacation, Sánchez tried to get rid of his parliamentary weakness by launching an attack on the legislative power that he called this Wednesday. He said he would govern “with or without” the competition in Congress, which triggered the alarm of the partners and further strained relations with specific allies, such as Junts, which left the plenary before the votes.
Returning to Venezuela, the government has no intention of recognizing Edmundo González until the international community has made a decision and the minutes of the vote are published. In Moncloa, they say that everything is part of an operation so that Maduro leaves power through a peaceful way. Sánchez did something similar during his tour of China this week.
“The Spanish government has requested the publication of the minutes of the elections in Venezuela. We do not recognize Maduro’s victory and we are working for unity within the European Union that leaves room for mediation until the end of the year so that we can find a solution that reflects the democratic will expressed in the elections of the Venezuelan people,” the president said.
The leader of Venezuela’s largest opposition bloc has been forced to leave the country and move to Spain after denouncing “fraud” and a persecution political and judicial.
