Despite the polarization and political noise, the Parliament still finds spaces for agreement. According to an analysis by EL PAÍS, only 11% of the votes held during the legislature have obtained the unanimous support of the eight parliamentary groups. These consensuses are concentrated on initiatives supporting the primary sector and measures to strengthen public services. In contrast, major debates on immigration, taxation, or language are not among the votes approved unanimously.
The analysis includes nearly 1,300 votes recorded in the Parliament plenary until June of the current legislature. Of these, 138 passed with the support of the eight groups represented in the Chamber: PSC, Junts, ERC, PP, Vox, Comuns, CUP, and Aliança Catalana. A good part of these agreements is concentrated in the primary sector. The unanimous votes include everything from aid to mitigate the effects of storms, incentives for good agricultural practices, or support for the direct sale of agricultural products to measures to combat animal diseases such as African swine fever, strengthen forest management, or support the fishing sector.
The other major area of consensus appears in the operation of public services. Among the votes approved unanimously are initiatives to reduce healthcare waiting lists, strengthen mental health and dependency services, combat school absenteeism, improve working conditions for teachers, promote the digitalization of educational centers, or strengthen security in public transport infrastructures. The results illustrate that consensus also has a pattern. It does not revolve around major reforms or deep legislative changes, but rather management initiatives: technical issues with a short-term impact in specific areas.
In contrast, that consensus disappears when initiatives force groups to define positions on models of the country or identity issues. This is the case in areas such as immigration, self-government, or the Catalan language, for example, where there is no vote that achieves consensus in the Chamber. Overall, in any case, consensuses are barely achieved in 11% of the motions presented. “Starting from the fact that the PSC governs in minority, it would be logical to think that it would be the first interested in seeking consensus. But the reality is quite the opposite,” criticize the PP. “It is enough to observe the level of conflict it maintains with sectors such as education, healthcare, or agriculture,” add the same sources. From ERC, on the other hand, they set the limit in the relationship with the far right: “There is no path to follow with them.”
Read more The King will receive the president of Ceuta in Mallorca one week after the migratory surge
ERC, bridge party
If unanimity is an exception, the ability to coincide with the rest of the groups is also not distributed equally. The analysis of the votes places the republicans as the party with the greatest parliamentary transversality of the legislature. The republicans are the party that most coincides in the voting direction with the whole Chamber, mainly with Comuns (87%), CUP (86%), Junts (79%), and PSC (68%). “It is normal that we coincide with Junts and the CUP on the national axis. We are pro-independence parties and defend the interests of Catalonia. We will always stand by initiatives that defend the working class and the interests of the country,” defend the republican ranks.
The republicans play a unique role during the legislature. Although part of the pro-independence bloc, it is also a key partner for the stability of the Illa Government and has facilitated the approval of some of its main initiatives. “We are for useful politics, not for the blockages of others,” says a deputy. Throughout the term, the investiture bloc formed by socialists, republicans, and commons have coincided in 64.5% of the votes, a figure lower than the 67% that the PSC assured in its own count. “We are happy to return to a scenario where debates are framed in left and right policies. We have seen it in various votes, where progressive parties bet on social policies,” then defended the socialist spokesperson, Elena Díaz.
The PSC highlights the firmness of the investiture bloc
The PSC has carried out its analysis of its parliamentary activity in which it highlights that the Government has managed to approve 98% of the legislative agenda and that of its 127 solo proposals, 87% have succeeded. In the motions, where the political position is marked, it claims to have reached consensus with the investiture bloc with a consensus above 60%. “It is a minority government but with a solid parliamentary majority,” they state in the party. The study shows that the greatest affinities occur on the left: Comuns and ERC coincide 89.51% in the voting of motions; Comuns and the CUP, 88.61%, and ERC and the CUP, 86.53%. The socialists coincide with ERC in 73.83% of cases and with Junts, despite their distance in Parliament, in 68.46%. Despite the sanitary cordon around Aliança, Junts coincides with Aliança 61% and the socialists 45.64%.
