The accounts still pending between Sumar and Podemos mean that the joys of one are closely linked to the brokenness of the other. And vice versa. That is why the hangover over the repeal of the unemployment benefit in the confederal group was quite different yesterday from that of the purple party, with many cross reproaches.
The former chewed up defeat, which exposed some of their operational shortcomings, while the latter, with little to lose after 23-J, made their first gains as awkward, and vital, partners when Together choose to abstain in future votes.
The leader of Sumar, and second vice-president, Yolanda Díaz, did not hesitate to accuse Podemos of having “damaged the workers by voting with the PP and Vox”. And after holding them responsible for “having cut the rights of the unemployed”, he tried to turn the page by announcing that he would start, “immediately”, a new round of meetings to push forward the reform “in a consensual manner”.
In contrast to Irene Montero, who chained up to four television and radio interviews to insist on Sumar’s parliamentary wreck. And in case anyone thought that what had happened on the eve was an isolated incident, the former Minister of Equality and number two of Podemos warned the coalition Executive that, if it intends to count on the votes of its five deputies in order to push ahead with measures in Congress, he will have to give up asking for his support “in exchange for nothing”.
In the reconstruction of the events, sources from Sumar attribute the responsibility for what happened to Podemos, who, they say, the Secretary of State for Employment, Joaquín Pérez, cited in one of the instances of the Senate – which worked on Wednesday as Congress – to attempt one last meeting. The intention, they declare, was to negotiate even assessing the possibility of accepting the amendment that Ione Belarra had announced they would present. But, according to these sources, the purple deputy Noemí Santana did not show up.
An absence that Podemos justified by the delay in the invitation, since, at the time, as they say they had warned the coalition Government, the five lilac deputies had already cast their telematic vote.
In any case, none of this will happen again when the two parties sit down at the table again, since the president of the Spanish Government himself aims to, at least, protect the negotiation.
“I would like to ask those who opposed the decrees yesterday to reconsider their strategy. If they do, I can guarantee them that they will have our total and absolute willingness to reach an agreement. To oppose is not to oppose everything, but to work in favor of the social majority”, pointed out Pedro Sánchez in a message that indicates some anger with the two parties.
