On going. Pedro Sánchez plans to announce this Monday, after several days of suspense and absolute silence, the composition of his new progressive coalition government between the PSOE and Sumar.
Firstly, the Head of the Executive plans to communicate the new organizational chart of the Council of Ministers to King Felipe VI. And, then, he will confirm it in a press appearance at mid-morning at the Moncloa.
Among the likely novelties, the addition of Jordi Hereu to the government as the new Minister of Industry stands out. Former mayor of Barcelona – a position he held between 2006 and 2011 -, Hereu is currently the president of the company Hispasat, operator of telecommunications satellites.
Hereu would thus return to direct a portfolio already with tradition among the leaders of the PSC, since during the mandates of President José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, José Montilla, later president of the Generalitat, and Joan Clos, who was also mayor of Barcelona, ??were ministers of Industry. between 1997 and 2006.
The PSC, which is the leading electoral force in Catalonia, nevertheless plans to maintain its share of prominence in the new executive with another ministry, possibly Transport, which until now was headed by Raquel Sánchez, former mayor of Gavà.
Pending confirmation this Monday, socialist sources consider the continuity of the current three vice presidents of the government to be guaranteed: the Minister of Economy, Nadia Calviño, pending her candidacy to preside over the European Investment Bank (EIB); the head of Labor, and leader of Sumar, Yolanda Díaz, and the Minister of Ecological Transition, Teresa Ribera.
Among the ministries of State, socialist sources are considering the continuity of José Manuel Albares in Foreign Affairs, in the Spanish presidency of the EU Council; of Margarita Robles at the head of Defense, and they also foresee the incorporation of Antonio Hernando in the Interior.
In the PSOE they also consider the continuity of two ministers of great political weight to be guaranteed, such as Félix Bolaños – although with the option of jumping to Justice – and María Jesús Montero as Minister of Finance, who is supported by three general State budgets approved in consecutively in the previous legislature. The incorporation of Sánchez’s current chief of staff in Moncloa, Óscar López, into the government also gained strength.
The president, in any case, has the last word today.
While the investiture debate lasted, despite the fact that he had already won it in advance, Sánchez rejected any demand from his collaborators to organize the calendar for the formation of the new government.
After revalidating the position last Thursday, by an absolute majority of 179 votes in Congress, on Friday, with his appointment already published in the BOE, he promised the position before the King in Zarzuela. And he has already locked himself in the Moncloa to compose the organization chart of the new government. Only with his closest collaborators – among them, Óscar López and Félix Bolaños – and with contacts with Yolanda Díaz to agree on the portfolios of the minority partner of the coalition.
Despite the forecast that Sánchez could announce his executive last Saturday, the decision was delayed. Podemos’s skirmish, by rejecting any offer from Yolanda Díaz that was not to keep Irene Montero in Equality – and therefore its rejection of Ione Belarra’s number two in the ministry, Nacho Álvarez, being a minister – did not help to accelerate either. the jobs.
On Saturday, Sánchez had already decided, in any case, that he would announce the composition of the new government this Monday.
During this weekend, the president began to telephone those who will leave and those who will join the Council of Ministers in its first meeting, scheduled for tomorrow, after his inauguration. Both of them committed to Sánchez not to reveal to anyone his dismissal, or his signing, until the president himself confirms them. “Absolute silence,” they complied. The appointment of ministers is an exclusive prerogative of the head of the executive, according to the Constitution, and all presidents always wanted to preserve this power.
Consequently, Sumar maintained the same silence yesterday, although the portfolios negotiated with Sánchez are known, as well as their possible owners. The doubt persists as to whether Sumar will have four or five portfolios, but its maximum scenario is five ministries, headed by Yolanda Díaz in the Labor portfolio and the second vice presidency, Mónica García in Health, Ernest Urtasun at the head of Culture, Sira Rego in a newly created portfolio that would manage childhood and youth issues, and Pablo Bustinduy or Nacho Álvarez in charge of Social Rights, which could also assume the powers of the current Consumer portfolio, which Alberto Garzón has held. That is the maximum scenario with which Sumar has been working all week, although his resignation from all his positions in Podemos and his termination from active politics seems to rule out Álvarez.
Since Podemos vetoed Álvarez as minister on Friday, Sumar tried to contact the general secretary of the purple party, Ione Belarra – outside of Spain – to negotiate a possible purple ministry outside of Equality – a competition that the PSOE recovers – , but there was no response. Only the message reiterating that Irene Montero should remain a minister. So everything indicates that Podemos will be left out of the executive.
