Parliament rejects the government's spending cap and forces Prohens to extend the budget.
The session highlights the fragile relationship between the PP and Vox and ends with Costa and the spokespeople of the groups accusing each other of being "liars".
PalmThe plenary session of the Balearic Parliament ended without surprises, rejecting the government's spending cap, despite last-minute attempts to reach an agreement with Vox and the last-minute appeal from the Minister of Economy, Antoni Costa, who called on the "responsibility" of the members of parliament from all parties, ultimately accusing them of failing to help ensure that citizens "have the budget they deserve." With this setback from all groups in the Chamber, including the investiture partner, the government will be forced to extend the 2025 budget, a situation the PSIB (Socialist Party of the Balearic Islands) has described as a "blockade." In fact, the Socialist spokesperson, Iago Negueruela, demanded during the question period that President Marga Prohens call early elections. The plenary session served to once again stage the utter chaos between the PP and Vox parties, with constant recriminations and cross-accusations of being "liars," to the point that at the end of the session, Manuel Cañadas displayed an image of Pinocchio during the speech by the PP's parliamentary spokesperson, Sebasti. Councilor Antoni Costa defended the proposed new spending ceiling with great conviction, asserting that with an increase of 361 million euros compared to the previous year, it would allow them "to approve a budget that reflects the current reality. The Islands are the fastest-growing region in terms of population, which puts significant pressure on services immediately," he said, addressing all the political groups.
He also took the opportunity to highlight the government's actions, "with tax cuts for the people here, benefiting more than 20,000 families. And people under 30 who haven't paid a single euro to buy their apartments," asking the parliamentary groups to support it.
But the interventions of the parliamentary spokespeople made it clear from the outset that there would be no support to approve this measure, essential for drafting a new budget for 2026. The main tension arose between the PP and Vox, given that both parties have an investiture agreement that, in principle, should also imply a commitment. "But you can't be trusted, you've deceived us several times," said the far-right deputy Manuela Cañadas, to explain her opposition to the spending cap. Cañadas wanted to make it clear that they feel cheated because "amendments are approved that then don't have any budget allocation. Some of us may not have parliamentary experience, but we're not stupid," she said, announcing that she would not support the government. "Furthermore, you don't need an additional 360 million euros (referring to the increased spending that the new ceiling would have allowed). You want a political lifeline for patronage-based commitments; you're in permanent campaign mode. You have 620 million euros of unspent European funds," the Vox spokesperson criticized. Cañadas said that Minister Costa had not shown any real willingness to negotiate the ceiling, and that his intervention this Tuesday "makes me congratulate him on his Goya nomination." The deputy asserted that "trust" has been broken and that therefore there is neither a spending ceiling nor a budget. The left is very harsh on Costa.
The left has also harshly attacked the Popular Party and Regional Minister Antoni Costa, because, according to PSIB spokesperson Iago Negueruela, "you didn't really want to negotiate the budget, and you haven't included anything we proposed, such as the increase in the Tourist Tax and the tax on rental cars. I personally obtained these measures from the regional government. You don't want to be specific," Negueruela retorted.
Lluís Apesteguia (MÁS per Mallorca) expressed a similar sentiment, asserting that Costa "is misleading us" with his interventions. He explained that the eco-sovereignists cannot support a new spending cap that would allow for the preparation of "unfair" budgets that maintain a tax reform of €1,000 per euro, when this money should be in the public coffers and not in private pockets, as you claim, precisely because it benefits those with the smallest and emptiest pockets," he declared.
Furthermore, he stated that the eco-sovereignists cannot help make possible a spending cap and subsequent budget that "relies so heavily on a tax formulated as it is currently, the transfer tax, which generates €931 million, an excessive dependence on a tax based on speculation and the Balearic Islands."
Más por Menorca also referred to Costa's talent for staging an attempt at negotiation that "never actually took place. You can be told, don't let reality dress up a good story for you," retorted spokesperson Josep Castells, who asserted that the PP had no real intention of rejecting the reduced tax formulas that benefit the wealthiest.
Costa responded to all the groups, lamenting their failure to implement the spending cap and reiterating the importance of investing "in the citizens of the Islands." He specifically addressed Manuela Cañadas, regretting that she had followed instructions from Madrid in rejecting the spending cap and the future budgets. "They haven't put anything concrete on the table. Vox Baleares hasn't set any conditions because their refusal is part of a national Vox strategy to say no to all minority PP governments. Vox Baleares has had no say," he said, addressing the far-right members of parliament.
