All the presidents of the autonomous communities governed by the PP who have attended the round of meetings that Pedro Sánchez began last month have closed specific agreements with the President of the Government. And everyone has valued the institutional normality of the meetings despite the proposal that the president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, gave to the head of the Executive, refusing to meet him this Friday and considering that meeting him meant “whitewashing.” to the leftist government.
The Madrid president insisted that her refusal responds to Spain’s defense against what she considers an “institutional deterioration” and accuses Sánchez of having defamed her, mentioning her partner’s relationship with alleged tax crimes. Despite the discomfort generated in the PP, which seeks to show unity, Ayuso has maintained his position throughout the week, distancing himself from his party colleagues and escalating his confrontation with the central government.
Ayuso’s decision contradicts the position of his own party so far. “If a regional president does not go to the Moncloa Palace, I think he is making a mistake,” said Alberto Núñez Feijóo a little over a month ago in an interview in El Mundo. But later, after learning of the president’s decision, Feijóo justified that Ayuso did not meet with Sánchez because “he is not in a state of mental health.” The rest of the presidents, for their part, have been announcing successive agreements with the Government of Spain after their respective meetings at the Moncloa.
The agreements of the regional presidents with Sánchez
The first leaders to meet with Sánchez on September 20 were Alfonso Rueda, president of Galicia, and Juan Manuel Moreno, top leader of Andalusia. The first left the meeting announcing the imminent constitution of a mixed commission for the transfer to Galicia of the material means for managing the coastline. In addition, he explained that he was able to convey to the president some claims such as the railway connection with Portugal and the transfer of the AP-9.
Moreno was less positive after the meeting with Sánchez due to the lack of concrete commitments. Even so, he explained that the two leaders spoke about important issues for Andalusian society such as migration management and economic cooperation and valued the fact of maintaining an open communication channel with the central government: “It is always interesting that government representatives talk “Let’s talk.”
The next round began on September 27 with the president of Cantabria, María José Sáenz de Buruaga, who was especially optimistic after the meeting with Sánchez: “I am leaving relatively satisfied; “The president’s words today deserve a vote of confidence.” The Cantabrian leader highlighted the climate “of cordiality and listening” and explained the personal commitment of the President of the Government to take care of the La Pasiega industrial estate project, especially the key intermodal railway station to connect the Port of Santander.
On the same day, the president of La Rioja, Gonzalo Capellán, was satisfied after his first meeting with Pedro Sánchez: “The assessment is positive because he has listened to the demands of La Rioja and you do not always have the opportunity to speak for more than an hour with the president. of the Government of Spain.” Capellán announced an agreement to temporarily move the Glosas Emilianenses for an exhibition in La Rioja and improvements in infrastructure.
The following Friday, October 4, it was the turn of Carlos Mazón, president of the Generalitat Valenciana, who positively valued his first meeting with Pedro Sánchez at the Moncloa, highlighting the achievement of four key agreements, although he stressed that he will maintain his attitude ” vigilant”. Mazón highlighted the commitments regarding the Lady of Elche, the acceleration of industrial policies, the PERTE of the chip sector and the protection of the Albufera.
The same day the president of Murcia, Fernando López Miras, stopped by Sánchez’s office. The Murcian leader assured that although the meeting was cordial, it had left “as it had arrived.” Even so, the meeting addressed the Government’s commitment to convert water into a “safe guarantee” for Murcia, complementing the Tajo-Segura transfer with an increase in the production of desalinated water.
On October 10, the president of Aragón, Jorge Azcón, attended, who described the meeting with Pedro Sánchez as “cordial, but with few fruits.” However, he highlighted a relevant agreement: the Government’s commitment to increase the Teruel Investment Fund (FITE) from the current 60 million euros to 86 million annually in the next two years. This increase, according to Azcón, is crucial to “continue fighting against depopulation” in the province of Teruel and advance territorial justice. Furthermore, the Minister of Territorial Policy, Ángel Torres, highlighted after the meeting that the Government is open to addressing pending issues through a bilateral working group.
Finally, this Friday and once the Ayuso sit-in was completed, the presidents of the Balearic Islands, Marga Prohens, and of Extremadura, María Guardiola, decided to go to Moncloa to convey their proposals. After showing their understanding with Ayuso, both were grateful for the possibility of meeting with Sánchez.
Guardiola assured, after their meeting, that in a year and three months he had not yet had the opportunity to meet with the president and left a clear message: “I act with responsibility and loyalty of the State; I have conveyed to Pedro Sánchez my willingness to collaborate.” And Prohens, after explaining that he had placed special emphasis on migration issues, announced that he was beginning the negotiation of a new railway investment agreement for the Balearic Islands.
After the passage of the two leaders, all the PP presidents summoned to date have ended up attending Moncloa, in the absence of confirmation from the Castilian and Leonese Alfonso Fernández Mañueco, for next week. Furthermore, the nine presidents leave Pedro Sánchez’s office with concrete commitments and pacts while Ayuso continues to defend her position of not attending the meeting with the president.
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