Winning in politics is acquiring power or increasing it, for example, adding 48 seats to 137 like the PP in 23-J. But winning is not defeating, in our parliamentary democracy. To win is to hold, to defeat, to surrender to the opponent, to prevail, to twist the rival, as the PSOE achieved with its 121 deputies, exceeding expectations. He who governs wins, it is often said, because he wins who is president thanks to a majority. 178 who said no to Feijóo and 179 who could say yes to Pedro Sánchez, depending on the Canarian Coalition’s vote. He who wins the political victory wins.
The investiture of Alberto Núñez Feijóo was, in any case, very original. And not because of the echoes of the censure motion, but because for the first time in our history Congress has invested an opposition leader in a solemn session. And this is very unique since Felipe González invented for Manuel Fraga the status of the first opponent and appeared since 1983 in State precedents at number 15. EH Bildu said it, clearly, with his ” not resounding” to the candidate: “We will invest him as leader of the opposition”. And they were right.
Does it come out better than it went in? Yes. He achieved what Pablo Casado never achieved: the status of Sánchez’s nemesis. It was solid and safe. Much better without papers (like Sánchez). Without the iron balms of the samurai who meditated in Sanxenxo, Mariano Rajoy, but liking his Galician swagger. The session was not failed for Feijóo. He improved his relative position in an operation with which he regained authority inside the PP and outside the chamber. Visualizing the 172 favorable votes and reaching the end of the electoral cycle alive: the 2024 superjunior with European, Basque and Galician. His government program was, of course, loose and imprecise. And he must be very careful with who he writes to, and not just because of errors in the handling of data. He spoke of a new crime: “constitutional disloyalty”. Beyond his disloyalty to article 122 in the renewal of the CGPJ that many recalled, the absurdity could have been considerable if someone had amplified that it could be a copy of the 1961 law with which precisely the Franco regime pursued disloyalty. A very dangerous slope.
Sanchez won. Like Sun Tzu, without fighting. Is it arguable that he didn’t offer the face-to-face? Yes. It was with Rajoy in his failed investiture in 2016. But if something is questionable in politics, it is that it is not indisputable. And the entry of my friend Óscar Puente allowed him to continue governing the central political concept: amnesty. Without speaking out. That of Puente reminded me of when Clemente in 1996 gave goalkeeper Molina his debut in a Spain-Norway match as a field player. He didn’t do badly. There were quality details and, of course, some faults. It was an investiture of words and silences. With a yes that was no from the socialist Herminio Rufino Sancho Íñiguez. The smile of Paco Salazar, next to him, said it all. Calm. After the step of the winner (Feijóo) comes the winner (Sánchez).
