Toxic alliance

THE governing PSOE-Unidas Podemos coalition (UP) has always been uneasy.

Pedro Sanchez failed to form a government following the April 2019 general elections, although the PSOE emerged as the most-voted party.

He was reluctant to team up with UP, then headed by Pablo Iglesias and itself another uneasy alliance between Podemos and Izquierda Unida (IU).

Sanchez wouldn’t sleep easy, he maintained at the time to justify his decision to announce another election in November.

The PSOE was still the most-voted party the second time around but lost three seats, while UP lost seven.  Frustratingly, the PP gained 27 and Vox won another 28 although Sanchez should have seen this coming, as the PSOE has consistently lost seats under his leadership.  Worse still, his only option was a UP alliance, presumably less sleep-depriving than another election.

It has been an uncomfortable ride since then, although Pablo Iglesias did UP, if not Podemos, a favour by resigning and handing over to IU’s Yolanda Diaz.

Sanchez’s insistence on modifying Equality minister Irene Montero’s Right to Sexual Freedom Law – the Only Yes Means Yes Law – has now made matters immeasurably worse.

Replacing existing legislation, the new law was designed to protect victims who previously were expected to prove they were subjected to violence or intimidation if their aggressors were to be convicted of rape.

As has been explained ad nauseum, the law redefined prison terms for sexual offences but paradoxically 721 offenders have seen their sentences reduced, with some out on the street again.

The modifications were finally approved on March 7 to the disgust of Irene Montero who belongs to Podemos, which voted against the law and whose MPs made exceedingly inflammatory remarks about Sanchez, the PSOE and, naturally the PP and Vox, in the pre-vote debate.

Podemos is seething, IU is keeping quiet and the PSOE? Sanchez’s keeping his fingers crossed in hopes of riding out May’s municipal and regional elections and keeping afloat until the December poll.

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