Sánchez and Feijóo will confront their two country models this Tuesday in a new 'face to face' in the Senate

The economy, the shipment of tanks to Ukraine, the Algeciras attack or the law of 'only yes is yes' will mark the parliamentary duel

MADRID, 29 Ene. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The head of the Executive, Pedro Sánchez, and the leader of the PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, will confront this Tuesday their two models for Spain in a new parliamentary duel in the Senate less than four months before the elections on May 28, a debate that It comes after a turbulent week due to the violent attack in Algeciras and the decision to send battle tanks to Ukraine.

This appointment, which will start at 4:00 p.m. in the Senate Plenary, is the third 'face to face' between the two in a prolonged format, although the president of the PP has also asked the president of the Government two parliamentary questions in the control session in these ten months that he has been leading the Popular Party.

Last week there was already a similar debate in Congress -despite the fact that January is a non-working period- and Moncloa has forced a new appointment in the Upper House to try to dismantle the image of the leader of the opposition as a moderate and good manager . The Government maintains that the Executive likes to debate with Feijóo to see "if there is any idea beyond being against everything", and to "try to repeal all the advances made by the Government", in the words of Minister Félix Bolaños.

The situation of the economy and the rise in prices due to the crisis in Ukraine, the shipment of Leopard tanks as demanded by Volodímir Zelenski, the attack in Algeciras by a man of North African origin that left one dead and several injured, the possible reduction of sentences for the change in the crime of embezzlement and the effects of the so-called 'only yes is yes' law will be some of the main topics that Sánchez and Feijóo will bring up in their speeches.

With the recent controversy over the anti-abortion protocol in Castilla y León, it is assumed that Sánchez will once again resort to his strategy of resembling the PP with Vox, as he did a few days ago in the Lower House when he criticized the presence of both in the demonstration of Cibeles against the Government. He then asked the Grupo Popular bench if he believes that Spain is moving "towards a Bolivarian-style collectivist regime."

In 'Genoa', however, they consider that the Government is pricking the bone with this strategy of putting the PP and Vox in the same bag. "Passing Feijóo as a dangerous extremist, right-wing and fascist is not easy due to his political career," party sources assure Europa Press, who also highlight how the PP "distanced" from what happened in CyL with the measures on pregnancies .

The leadership of the PP also anticipates that they will put the accent on the "division" that exists in the Government of PSOE and Unidas Podemos in relation to the tanks, after the divergence of statements by the head of Defense, Margarita Robles, and the minister of Social Rights and leader of the purples, Ione Belarra, opposed to commanding the Leopard so as not to contribute to "a war escalation".

In addition, Feijóo will once again insist to Sánchez on the reform of the so-called 'only yes is yes' law, after almost 300 sexual offenders have already benefited from this rule, while warning of the possibility that there has also been reductions in sentences for corrupt persons for the modification of the crime of embezzlement, according to the sources consulted.

As he did a week ago in Congress in a similar debate, the Prime Minister will once again boast of the good progress of the economy, especially when the INE confirmed on Friday that the Spanish economy grew by 5.5% in 2022, which same as in 2021, registering in both cases their highest rates since 1973.

In Moncloa they criticize the "catastrophic" messages of the PP and reiterate Sánchez's message: "As much as it may weigh on some, the apocalypse has not arrived and will not arrive." However, Feijóo will blame him for the fact that Spain has not recovered its pre-pandemic GDP and that it is "in the caboose of the EU".

"Sánchez believes that the economy is doing very well but there is high inflation, mortgages are becoming more expensive and unemployment is growing. There is an economic context that is hurting families," sources from Feijóo's team have stressed to Europa Press , which emphasize that the PP leader's speech will be focused on "the issues that are currently a priority" for the Spanish.

In 'Génova' they emphasize that if there were not "a complicated context in Spain, I would not have copied Feijóo in everything he has done", applying "PP recipes". "If you want to show off your economy, we are waiting for you here," warn sources close to Feijóo.

Sánchez is expected to put the focus back on pensions. Already last Tuesday in Congress he blurted out to the PP that if he were governing they would have risen only 2.39 euros compared to the increase of more than 100 euros on average due to the revaluation of 8.5%. The 'popular' argue that "the key" is not how much the pension rises but whether purchasing power is gained or lost, and "pensioners are not better off than before" but rather that they have lost purchasing power due to inflation and the rise in gas and light, according to what Juan Bravo said a few days ago.

According to the PP, Feijóo wants to visualize that there is "another way of doing politics" and, as proof of this, he presented an institutional quality plan a few days ago with the 60 measures that he will apply in his first 100 days of government if he arrives at the Palace of the Moncloa.

One of these measures is to institutionalize communication between the President of the Government and the leader of the opposition to address matters of State. The 'populares' have denounced these days the dismissal of the head of the Executive to the leader of the opposition in relation to the attack in Algeciras or the sending of tanks to Ukraine.