The Spanish government has indicated it will refrain from presenting the General State Budget (PGE) unless it has ensured enough parliamentary support for its approval, to avoid wasting the time of the Congress of Deputies and the citizens.

This statement was made by government spokesperson Pilar Alegra during a press conference following the weekly Cabinet meeting.

The ruling Socialist Party has distanced itself from the warnings issued by its minority coalition partner, Sumar, which has insisted that the government has an obligation to initiate the budgetary process in the lower house and work towards passing the budget.

In a recent television interview, Second Deputy Prime Minister Yolanda Díaz remarked that in politics, nothing is impossible and urged persistence in negotiating.

According to government sources, they have been working towards this goal since the outset, engaging in discussions with various parliamentary parties to secure an agreement as soon as possible.

Alegra emphasized the need for any budget proposal to align with the current parliamentary reality, indicating that a presentation without assured support could lead to an inevitable defeat.

When questioned about potential constitutional violations linked to the failure to submit a new budget proposal, Minister of the Presidency and Justice Félix Bolaños stated that the Constitution also outlines the procedures applicable when new budgets are not approved and the process by which the previous year's budget is extended.

He characterized the existing budget, which is set to continue through a prorogation, as objectively favorable for the country, noting it has resulted in Spain's economic growth rate being four times that of the European Union.

The government also emphasized that despite the challenges related to parliamentary support, it has successfully passed 28 laws since the beginning of the legislative term.

Currently, the enacted budgets are those from 2023, which were formulated under the present administration, although the coalition’s minority partner has changed since then, moving from Unidas Podemos to Sumar, amid a shift in Congress composition.

Alegra pointed out examples from other regional governments, asserting that some, like the Community of Madrid and Castilla y León, have only approved three budget exercises in six years of governing.

She reiterated that the previous legislative term saw successful passage of budgets and expressed confidence in continuing along that path.

In a separate context, the Cabinet approved a legal challenge to the Constitutional Tribunal regarding a legislative amendment enacted in the Madrid Parliament.

This amendment refrains from declaring the Royal Post House, the current seat of the regional government led by Isabel Díaz Ayuso, as a site of democratic memory, in recognition of its historical role as a site of torture during the dictatorship.

Government officials justified this legal move by pointing out the Madrid government’s refusal to engage in dialogue with the Ministry of Territorial Policy to resolve discrepancies related to the matter.