Parliamentary Debate Starts On Feijóo's Improbable Bid For PM

Leader of the main opposition centre-right People's Party (PP) Alberto Núñez Feijóo is addressing the Congress of Deputies, ahead of a debate and vote on his investiture as prime minister, with the latter set to take place on 27 Sep. Despite leading the largest party in parliament, Feijóo is very unlikely to receive the requisite support in the investiture votes to take over from acting PM Pedro Sanchez, starting a two-month countdown. Should no candidate win an investiture vote in that period snap elections will be called.

• In order to win a vote in the first round, Feijóo would require the support of 176 of 350 deputies. Parties supporting him hold a combined 171 seats. In a second vote, a simple majority is required. But without the support of the Catalan separatist Junts party this threshold is unlikely to be achievable.
• In his speech to lawmakers, Feijóo stated that he would seek to introduce a crime of 'constitutional disloyalty' following the Sanchez gov'ts overhaul of the sedition law. He attacked Sanchez for countenancing an amnesty for Catalan separatists prosecuted for sedition, saying that “Neither legally nor ethically it is acceptable”.
• This stance will almost certainly deny Feijóo the PM's office this time round. However, they put acting PM Pedro Sanchez in a difficult position. Feijóo and the PP drew large crowds to marches in Madrid opposing amnesties for those convicted of sedition. Should Sanchez provide an amnesty to secure his own investiture vote it could significantly increase domestic political tensions.