Racing against the clock to save this Wednesday's vote on extending Spain's state of alarm, Pedro Sánchez has once again been pressuring the opposition parties of the right, especially the People's Party (PP) but also Ciudadanos (Cs), stating that he will hold them responsible for the consequences if this measure of constitutional exception cannot be prolonged. This was the prime minister's message today when speaking before the Spanish senate, where he said that "the only instrument that makes it possible to fight against Covid and save lives is the extension of the state of alarm."
Less than 24 hours from the vote in the Congress of Deputies, and far from having a majority assured, the Spanish government is nervous. Thus, the PM has raised the tone against the PP and Cs, warning that “there is no alternative” and asking them to rethink their position and support him. According to Sánchez, the exceptional measures set in motion over the last seven weeks, such as restricting mobility via confinement of the population, and financial aid such as the ERTO temporary layoff schemes, cannot be taken "except under the umbrella of the state of alarm".
The Socialist leader criticized the opposition for not supporting him at a time which is "so critical and so uncertain" and affirmed that "this is what all countries are doing." With the plan to ease lockdown just getting underway, the prime minister appealed not to carry out "experiments" by ending the state of alarm, but rather to be "prudent" because "confinement has worked." He also denied that there was no dialogue with the autonomous communities, as the opposition and the regional governments had asserted, and he affirmed that his model is one of "co-governance and co-decision".
"The extension is for your own protection"
After PP spokesperson Javier Maroto had protested in the senate that the Spanish government's management of the coronavirus crisis consisted of "improvisations" and "swerves", and had criticised Sánchez for his dichotomy of "either state of alarm, or chaos", the Socialist leader responded that in March his party "had said it was an instrument for the citizens, and thus extending it is to protect your good self."
For her part, Lorena Roldán, of Ciudadanos, complained that Sánchez had announced the planned extension of the state of alarm at a press conference, without any prior communication to the political party leaders who had to vote for it. She also affirmed that “families cannot be used as hostages” to pressure the opposition parties, by threatening to end aid like the ERTOs. "You cannot use the state of alarm at your whim," she warned, accusing the PM of having acted "unilaterally" during the crisis.
Both the PP and Cs have argued that the exceptional measures enacted over these weeks can be preserved without being under a state of alarm, and have called on Sánchez to take appropriate measures so that the lifting of the special constitutional status does not affect ordinary people.