The agreement between the PSOE and Junts to process an amnesty law was officially made public this Thursday. The pact with the independence party led by Carles Puigdemont, negotiated intensively in recent days in Brussels – where the former Catalan president has remained on the run from justice since 2017 – clears the way for the socialist candidate, Pedro Sánchez, to attempt his investiture. However, there are still a few steps left before that happens. The socialists must close the last of the parliamentary agreements they need to build a majority, that of the PNV, and register the proposal for a grace measure in Congress. The president of the lower house, the socialist Francina Armengol, must also set a date for the debate and the investiture vote. These are the steps and deadlines planned when there are 18 days left until November 27, the maximum date for a President of the Government to be sworn in. If there is not one by that day, the general elections would be repeated.
Close the negotiation with PNV. In recent days, the PNV has sent several messages reminding that the PSOE has not yet negotiated the pact with them. The conversations are being piloted in Madrid by his parliamentary spokesperson, Aitor Esteban, in permanent contact with the president of the PNV, Andoni Ortuzar, who has met at least twice in Brussels in recent weeks with Carles Puigdemont. The PNV was interested in its negotiations not being mixed with that of other parties and also has in its sights that next summer, autonomous elections are scheduled to be held in the Basque Country, elections in which they will once again measure forces with EH Bildu. This formation has already confirmed that it will vote in favor of Sánchez.
Register the amnesty proposal in Congress. The Government and its allies wanted to register the bill in Congress at the beginning of November, just after the pact with ERC, but the slow pace of negotiations with Junts has delayed it. The initial intention was for the law to bear the signature of all the groups that will support the investiture—PSOE, Sumar, PNV, Bildu, BNG and the two Catalan independence parties—but they have yet to share the text with the others, because the content of The proposal has been carried out with great secrecy. Once registered, the Congress Board must qualify it, as a way to guarantee that it will go ahead. The process is expected to be long and tortuous; The PP has already announced that it will try to slow it down as much as possible in the Senate.
The date for the investiture session. The uncertainty has caused the Congressional Board, which decides the organization of debates in the lower house, to have enabled all weekends and holidays until November 27, the deadline for the investiture of a candidate to take place. Thus, all options are open, including a possible investiture debate on Sunday. Armengol could set the date in a matter of hours without having to convene the Board again.
Debate and vote. The investiture plenary session begins with a presentation without a time limit of his political program by the candidate. Then, after a period of interruption, a representative of each parliamentary group intervenes, for 30 minutes each. When this process is over, in which the candidate can respond to everyone or whoever he wishes, and who will foreseeably have a turn of rejoinder, the first vote will take place. In it, Sánchez needs an absolute majority to be elected president: 176 affirmative votes, out of a total of 350 deputies. If he does not obtain that majority, a new vote will be held 48 hours after the previous one. In this second vote, the presidency can be achieved by a simple majority: more yeses than noes.
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If there is an investiture, communication to the King. If the socialist candidate achieves the confidence of the Chamber, the president of Congress will inform the King, so that Sánchez can be appointed president of the Government. The appointment is published in the Official State Gazette and subsequently the president takes office before the King.
If an investiture does not go ahead before November 27, elections will be repeated. November 27 is the date that marks two months since the leader of the PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, lost the first investiture vote. Article 99 of the Constitution states the following: “If after the period of two months, starting from the first investiture vote, no candidate has obtained the confidence of Congress, the King will dissolve both Chambers and call new elections with the endorsement of the President of Congress.” The elections would be held just 47 days later, according to the seventh additional provision of the electoral law, introduced in 2016 for specific cases of electoral repetition due to the impossibility of an investiture. The deadlines set by law indicate, therefore, that, if the president is not elected before November 27, there would be general elections again on January 14.
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