Parliament examines Prohens' broken promises

PalmPrime Minister Marga Prohens arrives at the general policy debate (which will take place on October 7 and 8) after a resounding parliamentary defeat that symbolizes yet another break with Vox. Furthermore, the left will not hesitate to delve into the unfulfilled promises she made last year, when she guaranteed measures against overcrowding in tourism that involved, among other things, an increase in the Sustainable Tourism Tax (ITS). Her insufficient majority in Parliament has prevented her from implementing the tax change. She also threatens to make new budgets unviable. The debate, which will last two days, will serve to examine the state of affairs. Does the Prime Minister have the room to maneuver to continue passing laws for the remainder of her term?

"If anyone thinks this government will throw in the towel, stand still, and do nothing more, they are very mistaken," warned First Vice President and Executive Spokesperson Antoni Costa on Friday. "The citizens elected us in May 2023 to govern, and we will do so for four years," he warned. He added, "The Government will continue with the roadmap." Costa assured that they will present budgets to Parliament and will try to bring forward other initiatives "and approve them." "Perhaps some will say they will vote against it: let them do so and explain that the government's action must be blocked because they believe it is detrimental," he concluded. Although he did not elaborate on the direction of Prohens' speech, which last year he showered with announcements for the future, he assured that he will include proposals on housing, tourist saturation, and immigration, "the issues that most concern citizens."

Speaking after the Governing Council, Costa admitted that housing is "a big problem," but that it must be addressed over the long term with "structural measures." Regarding overcrowding, Prohens had already criticized the left for not supporting the proposal to increase the ITS (tax income tax) that the PP brought to Parliament (Vox is against any tax). The main change will be regarding immigration, an issue that has become central to the PP since this summer, when Génova made a commitment to toughen its anti-immigration rhetoric in order to compete with Vox for voters. In this scenario, the party leader, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, landed in Formentera on September 25th to discuss the increase in arrivals to the Balearic Islands and demand measures from the Spanish government. "We don't want to reach the situation of the Canary Islands or other Mediterranean islands," said Costa.

Despite the difficulties the government is facing now that its term is halfway through, Costa firmly ruled out calling early elections. "We have an approved budget," he explained, insisting that they could be extended. Calling elections, he stressed, would be "an exercise in opportunism."