Feijóo doesn't get the accounts to table a motion of censure against Sanchez

Alberto Núñez Feijóo's PP needs 176 votes in Congress to dismiss the President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, by means of a motion of censure. With the current composition of the lower house, the sum of the People's Party (137 deputies) and the far-right Vox (33) is insufficient (170), so both would need the support of a third party.

Together with Vox, the Sumps (27 MPs), ERC (7), Junts (7) and EH Bildu (6) would allow Sanchez to leave La Moncloa, that is, it would suffice for one of these groups to support the motion.

In the case of Carles Puigdemont's party, it would be possible because of a greater political proximity to positions on certain issues. Feijóo has already tried several times to put pressure on Junts in this legislature.

In this sense, the PP leader has also tried to approach the PNV (5 MPs) to join the motion with Vox, but the jeltzales have so far refused to support an initiative that the ultra-right-wing party is in the equation. In any case, despite the support of the PNV, in that case it would need the support of another MP to move the motion forward, which could come from the mixed group (UPN, BNG, Podemos, CC...).

What is a motion of censure and how many have been tabled?

The motion of censure is laid down in articles 113 of the 1978 Spanish Constitution and 175 to 179 of the Rules of Procedure of the Congress of Deputies, and must be proposed by at least one tenth of the representatives of the Congress of Deputies (currently 35 deputies), and a candidate for the Presidency of the Government must be nominated.

The vote on the motion of censure shall require an absolute majority of affirmative votes in the Congress of Deputies to succeed. If the motion of censure is adopted, the Government shall submit its resignation. The motion of censure shall be deemed to give confidence to the proposed candidate and the King shall appoint him President of the Government.

The motion of censure in the Spanish State is constructive , that is, the group tabling the motion of censure at the same time proposes a new President of the Government. It is also a continuing initiative, that is, it does not call early elections.

So far there have been six motions of censure against Presidents Suarez (1980), Gonzalez (1987), Rajoy (2017 and 2018) and Sanchez (2020 and 2023). The first three were rejected. The fourth was passed on June 1, 2018, and candidate Pedro Sánchez was appointed President of the Spanish Government.

On 31 May and 1 June 2018, the motion of censure against the Government of Mariano Rajoy, tabled by Margarita Robles (PSOE) and 83 deputies, brought Pedro Sánchez to power.

Subsequently, two more motions of censure have been tabled against the coalition governments of Sanchez, both of which were tabled by Vox and rejected by the House. The first was debated on 21 and 22 October 2020 by Santiago Abascal, who was a candidate, and supported by the 51 members of the far-right. On 21 and 22 March 2023, the second motion of censure by Vox was debated.