The King begins his second round of consultations for the investiture, but will not be able to sound out Sánchez's allies

MADRID, 1 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The King will begin this Monday, October 2, at the Zarzuela Palace, his second round of consultations to designate a candidate for the investiture, after his previous bet, the leader of the PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, did not obtain enough votes to be elected. . Otherwise, the favorite is the socialist Pedro Sánchez, although the head of state will not be able to sound out several of his parliamentary allies because they refuse to attend these meetings.

Following the result of Feijóo's second investiture vote, in which the PP leader was defeated again, the president of Congress, the socialist Francina Armengol, went to Zarzuela on Friday to inform the Head of State of what happened. And the King's House immediately confirmed that it was not going to extend the deadlines and that the second round of consultations would begin this Monday.

As usual, the list of parties has been ordered from least to greatest support obtained in the general elections. Thus, the round will open at 11:00 a.m. on Monday with the president of the Unión del Pueblo Navarro (UPN), Javier Esparza, the regional formation that won a seat on July 23 and that already supported the investiture of Alberto Núñez Feijóo.

An hour later, the deputy of the Canarian Coalition (CC), Cristina Valido, is summoned, who signed an agreement to support Feijóo's investiture, although she is not open to negotiating with the PSOE as well, if she first complies with transfers that she considers unfulfilled and if later The socialists assume the so-called 'Canary agenda'.

At 1 p.m. it will be the turn of the PNV spokesperson, Aitor Esteban, who represents five deputies. The Basque nationalists rejected Feijóo's investiture and are only considering talking to the PSOE, although so far they have not started their negotiations and believe that the socialists should first attract Junts.

In the afternoon it will be the turn of the leader of Sumar, Vice President Yolanda Díaz, who will go to Zarzuela at 4:30 p.m. representing the 31 deputies obtained on June 23.

Sumar is a coalition that has deputies from eight different parties (Sumar, Podemos, En Comú, IU, Compromís, Más Madrid, Més per Mallorca and Chunta Aragonesista), but Yolanda Díaz will be the only one who comes to speak with the Head of State, as it already did in the first round of consultations.

On previous occasions, when they presented themselves as Unidas Podemos, the different members of the coalition had their place in the Zarzuela round of consultations and Podemos, En Comú-Podem, Izquierda Unida and even Galicia En Común (represented by the organization itself) paraded there. Yolanda Díaz), in addition to other groups such as Más País and Compromís.

Monday's day will be closed by the president of Vox, Santiago Abascal, summoned in Zarzuela at 5:30 p.m. representing the 33 deputies of the party. Vox supported the investiture of Núñez Feijóo, although it criticized the PP, but has made it clear that he will oppose the re-election of Pedro Sánchez.

The King will resume contacts at ten in the morning on Tuesday with the President of the Government and Secretary General of the PSOE, Pedro Sánchez, who in the first round of consultations already showed himself willing to submit to the investiture debate.

The PSOE sees itself capable of forging alliances to overcome the vote and reissue the coalition government, as it managed to gain the majority in the Congress Table, and will present it to the head of state in this way. Of course, Don Felipe will not be able to sound out four of the partners that Pedro Sánchez needs since ERC, Junts, Bildu and the BNG refuse to attend the King's consultations. What is known are the conditions of the Catalan independentists: amnesty for all those prosecuted by the process and laying the foundations for a new self-determination consultation for Catalonia.

And an hour later, the president of the PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, who already had his chance but was defeated this week in Congress, will go to Zarzuela. In any case, and despite some calls for abstention, the PP has already announced that its 137 deputies will vote against Sánchez's investiture.

For the first time, Felipe VI had to decide in August between two candidates for the investiture and he opted for Feijóo because he was the winner of the July elections and because, in that first round of consultations, he was the one who had the most votes tied. The Constitution establishes that it is Congress that elects the new president of the Government, but it is the King who decides who will undergo the investiture debate.

With the information that the political representatives have transmitted to him in this second round of consultations, the King will call the president of Congress, Francina Armengol, in Zarzuela, to communicate his decision, the name of the candidate he proposes to undergo the investiture debate. , predictably Pedro Sánchez.

Armengol will be in charge of setting the date of the new investiture debate, consulting the candidate, and the third and fourth week of October has been considered. In any case, there is now a deadline, since Feijóo's first vote started the two-month counter and, if the blockade persists and no one manages to be sworn in before November 27, the Cortes will be automatically dissolved and there will be new ones. elections on January 14.