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The Spanish government has adjusted its plan of attack on the difficult budget question. This Sunday morning question, prime minister Pedro Sánchez has asked opposition parties the Popular Party (PP) and Ciudadanos (C) for their help in getting his 2019 financial plan through Spain's Congress.

Sánchez urged the PP and Cs to "either abstain or vote in favour of the state budget," at the same time criticizing them for being allied with the "ultra-right". He called on people young and old to mobilize themselves against those who are nostalgic for what he called a "Spain in black and white" .

"Seeing what there is to be seen on the right, any past version of the right was better", said Sánchez, who was speaking in the city of Burgos to about a thousand party faithful at the presentation of the Socialist candidacy for the regional elections in Castile and León, due in May. Almost at the same time, the Secretary General of the far-right party Vox, Javier Ortega Smith, was taking part in a different Burgos pre-campaign event 500 metres down the road.

The Spanish PM repeated his appeal to the mainstream right parties PP and Cs on his Twitter account, where he directly called for the opposition to either abstain or vote for the budget. "After seven years of social injustice, Spaniards will not understand if the opposition votes against socially-oriented budgets that do not leave anyone behind", Sánchez argued.

"After 7 years of social injustice, Spaniards will not understand if the opposition votes against social budgets that do not leave anyone behind. I ask the opposition, also @PPopular and @CiudadanosCs, to either abstain or vote in favour of #PGE2019. # PGE for a Better Country"— Pedro Sánchez

In his speech in Castile and León, Sanchez also said that "Being a patriot is not shouting 'Long live Spain!' but working everyday so that Spain can live better."