Sanchez Faces Difficult Task In Creating Coalition To Remain PM

Acting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez faces a difficult task in meeting the demands of various parties required to support his bid to remain as PM as the clock ticks down towards the calling of snap elections. Sanchez has until 27 November to win an investiture vote in the Congress of Deputies or parliament will be dissolved.

• Today, European Affairs ministers from across the EU meet for the General Affairs Council. One of the matters to be discussed is the progress of the request from Madrid to include the Catalan, Basque, and Galician languages as official languages of the EU. The EU has already indicated that it will not fast-track the process.
• The left-wing Sumar has made its own difficult ask of Sanchez in exchange for their support: demanding the recognition of Palestine as a nation state. Most EU member states only recognise the state of Israel. Sumar's call risks rifts with Sanchez's PSOE, which has found itself torn between leftist potential allies demanding condemnation of Israel's aerial bombardments of Gaza and its EU allies condemning Hamas' attack on Israel.
• Another controversial demand, from the pro-Catalan independents Together for Catalonia (Junts) is an amnesty for those convicted of crimes in relation to the illegal 2017 independence referendum. An amnesty risks splitting the PSOE between those opposed to giving into secessionists, and those who argue a snap election must be avoided to avert the risk of parties of the right coming to power.