Absolute majority for the PSOE and the progressive bloc of 178 deputies. It is the result of the election of the Presidency of Congress, the first great vote of the political course. The PSOE manages to tie up the third authority of the State and, by extension, control of the Lower House in a legislature with an uncertain horizon. The seven ERC deputies, the other seven from Junts and the five from the PNV finally voted in favor of the progressive bloc, which gave Francina Armengol’s candidacy a majority of 178 deputies. The right, for its part, has finally shown itself divided.
178 supports that position Pedro Sánchez in a relevant situation for the round of consultations with the King, against an Alberto Núñez Feijóo who has shown his deep differences with Vox. The right has shown itself incapable of reaching an agreement to defeat the left on the first match point.
The PSOE, with 121 deputies, has added the support of Sumar (31), ERC (7), Junts (7), EH Bildu (6), PNV (5) and BNG (1). Result: Armengol will chair the Congress.
The PP, for its part, has added 139 votes in favor of its candidate, Cuca Gamarra. To the 137 supporters of the popular, the deputies of UPN (1) and CC (1) were added. Cristina Valido confirmed that she finally supported the Genoa proposal.
At 10:00 a.m. the plenary session of the constitution of the Lower House began, along with that of the Senate, a chamber that will be controlled by the PP by absolute majority. In Carrera de San Jerónimo it was not until forty minutes after the start that the vote was decided.
The big doubt was in Junts. Seven votes at stake. After the plenary session began, they announced their vote in favor of the PSOE candidate. The Catalan party, which seeks to form its own parliamentary group with the help of the Socialists, advanced this morning an agreement in principle for Armengol to be president of Congress. Junts was waiting to confirm with Ferraz a matter of greater “depth”, after pre-agreeing on the use of Catalan in Congress during this legislature, in addition to commissions to investigate the attacks of August 17 and 18, 2017 in Barcelona and Cambrils and espionage with Pegasus.
The PNV also revealed its vote when the first plenary session of the legislature had already begun, thus keeping its position secret until the last minute. His position was defining. The Basque nationalists, who do have a parliamentary group, voted in favor of Armengol. The unknown remains to be cleared up as to whether he will become part of the Congress Table or whether he will be left out.
ERC, which remained unknown until this morning, announced its positive vote for Armengol minutes before the deputies sat down in their seat. The Republicans advanced three points of the agreement with the Government to obtain their support: guaranteeing the use of Catalan and other official languages ??in plenary sessions, setting up a commission of investigation on the Pegasus case and continuing with the process of de-judicialization of the political conflict with Catalonia. The spokesman, Gabriel Rufian, wanted to make it clear that this is an agreement for the Board and that the investiture will come later. ERC counts on having its own parliamentary group with the help of the PSOE.
Canary Coalition, for its part, remained silent until the end. In the vote, its only deputy Cristina Valido voted in favor of Cuca Gamarra, distancing herself from the position of the PNV.
The right faces the round of consultations with the King split in two. The block is not compact, as has been demonstrated in the first vote of the course. PP and Vox were unable to agree. “Vox is voting for its own candidate, Ignacio Gil Lázaro, after the PP confirmed this morning that it will not help Vox to get a seat on the Board,” explained sources from the party chaired by Santiago Abascal.
“It is the second time in a democracy that the third parliamentary force is not represented in the Table and, given this lack of will of the Popular PP, Vox votes for its candidate for the presidency and vice presidency. In both cases Ignacio Gil Lázaro”, they added .
The four vice-presidents of the Congress Table will be, the first, Alfonso Rodríguez Gómez de Celis, from the PSOE; the second José Antonio Bermúdez de Castro, from the PP; the third, Esther Gil, from Sumar; and the fourth, Marta González, from the PP. Vox stays out.
The four secretaries of the Board of the Lower House will be, the first, Gerardo Pisarello, from Sumar; the second, Isaura Leal, from the PSOE; the third, Guillermo Mariscal, from the PP; and the fourth, Carmen Navarro, from the PP.
The progressive bloc (PSOE and Sumar) will control, therefore, the governing body of Congress with five representatives compared to four from the PP.
