Pedro Sánchez now only needs the support of one more party to be invested as prime minister again: Unidas Podemos. This was noted explicitly by the spokesperson for the acting Spanish government, Isabel Celaá, in her press conference this Friday, trying to raise the pressure on their potential partners. She celebrated that they already have the votes or abstentions they need from Partido Regionalista de Cantabria, Partido Nacionalista Vasco and Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya. "There's no need to reiterate that PSOE's position is to not accept a self-determination referendum", she said after mentioning the latter Catalan pro-independence party.
Speaking after today's cabinet meeting, and the day after a long and unsuccessful meeting between PSOE and Podemos negotiators, Celaá said that "there are differences, but we've got a long way to go". For that reason, she again offered a "third path" to Pablo Iglesias' party, half way between a coalition government and PSOE in power alone, with "active and powerful participation in the high offices of the state". But the door is completely shut to the offer of a joint government.
The spokesperson also counted out the possibility of a successful investiture with Podemos' support but without a prior agreement. That's an unlikely option that has been mentioned by Yolanda Díaz, a member of Podemos' negotiating team, who warned that they would nonetheless "make governing difficult". But PSOE say that it's a "dead-end which neither the public nor the political parties deserve."
"There's conviction and determination on the part of those who are negotiating on behalf of PSOE that there will not be a coalition government", Celaá insisted more than once, although she said they were open to "powerful formulas for cooperation so they can take active part in the tasks of state". She said they had offered an "open and progressive programme" and various mechanisms to see it is followed.
The first meeting between the parties after the summer holiday took place yesterday; despite more than almost five hours of talks, no progress was made. Celaá today said that talks will continue, and that the two leaders will meet again before the 23rd September deadline.