Next Thursday will be the first day Janz can unite votes with the PP and Box in parliament since former president Carles Puigdemont announced a break with the government a few weeks ago. The independence supporters are threatening to make this divorce valid for the first time by voting in favor of one of the amendments introduced by the PP in the Senate during the consideration of the Sustainable Mobility Act. Extending the service life of nuclear power plants From Almaras (Caceres), Asco (Tarragona) and Cofurentes (Valencia).
If you are in favor, agree to the amendment proposed by the faction after convergence. That would be a second blow to the government. Not only because it means diving into the waterline of the government’s energy strategy, which is based on renewable energy sources and the government’s determined commitment to shutting down nuclear power plants. It would also reinforce the message the party has been conveying since last week, following Mr Juntz’s decision not to support further legislation from the coalition government.
However, PP parliamentary sources said: They don’t know what Jantz is going to do next Thursday.And they continue to wait to see what MPs from Puigdemont’s party will decide in their votes. And it is not only within the People’s Party that uncertainty reigns over Jantz’s secrecy. The two government parties, PSOE and Smar, were also looking forward to this Tuesday, knowing that if Jantz decided to add its vote to that of the PP and Vox, it would be a double blow to the executive branch at a very delicate moment in the turbulent relationship with Moncloa that the independence factions have maintained since the inception of the legislature.
To prevent this from happening, the government has no choice but to convince Mr. Jantz that it would be inconvenient for them to approve an extension of the plant’s closure schedule. The possibility of Moncloa taking advantage of Congress’ request appears to be ruled out. This is to try to block Thursday’s vote. This Tuesday, PSOE Spokesperson in Congress Patoxi López rejected the executive branch’s ability to veto the amendment, recalling that this power can only be exercised if the Treasury can prove that delaying the closure of nuclear power plants will reduce the country’s revenues or increase its expenditures. Mr. Lopez pointed out that that would not happen in this case, ruling out that option.
It would also be impossible for the government to cancel approval of the entire Sustainable Mobility Act at the last minute if PP, Vox and Junts jointly vote in favor of preserving the amendment that opens the door to automatic extension of three of Spain’s seven operating nuclear reactors. Several Sumar spokesmen threatened this Tuesday morning, but the fact is that the regulations are in place. It’s impossible for them to follow that warning: What will be voted on this Thursday is only whether the amendments introduced in the Senate, including the amendments to the PP regarding nuclear power plants, will be retained in the final articles of the law, and not the entire article, which has already received final approval from Parliament on October 8th.
An unpleasant problem for Junt (and ERC)
So everything is in Jantz’s hands. And the truth is that nuclear power is an important issue for independence supporters. Catalonia has three active nuclear reactors, almost half of Spain’s seven, and is under great pressure due to the shutdown. It would be very unpopular in some parts of Catalonia. For now, Mr. Puigdemont’s men are staying dry, with only his four senators abstaining in a Senate vote last week on a PP amendment to extend the useful life of nuclear power plants.
This pressure also affects the ERC, with the added problem for Republicans that the debate over energy policy has historically been critical of nuclear power. But barring any last-minute surprises, the party intends to vote with the government to seek to overturn an amendment the PP has introduced in the Senate to extend the plant’s lifespan, which it already did unsuccessfully in the Senate last week. Unless ERC changes its mind at the last moment. It will not be worth the PP to abstain from Jants in parliament next Thursday. To delay the closure of the nuclear power plant, the residents of Petit de Monts will need to vote for their favorite.
It became clear in parliament last February that the issue was uncomfortable for the two Catalan independence factions. Precisely at that time, a non-legal proposal asking the government to extend the lifespan of nuclear power plants was approved on the initiative of the PP. This initiative had no legal effect and only put political pressure on the administration, but if it was enforced it would be thanks to the fact that the PP succeeded in breaking through the majority on which the government relied. He forced both Jantz and ERC to abstain.
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