The Government faces a decisive vote in Congress on the housing decrees

The Government has a momentous appointment this Friday. Congress puts to a vote the two Housing decrees approved this Tuesday by the Council of Ministers, in an express process. One of the texts, the longest, has been negotiated with parliamentary groups for months. The second, the one that only includes the automatic renewal of rents, is a last-minute issue and the Executive assumes that it has little chance of succeeding. In the last few hours, and after knowing the documents, especially the main one, Junts have expressed, after a first analysis, their "disappointment" and "concern" according to sources from the independence party. For his part, Pedro Sánchez is "reasonably optimistic" about being able to move forward.

The problem for the Government is that it needs the participation of all its partners in the vote, including Junts and Podemos, which are two of the groups that are showing the most suspicion and reluctance. "We approve the royal decrees to be able to approve them in the Cortes. You ask me to put myself in the worst scenario, allow me to put myself in the best before the vote," Sánchez explained to journalists, in an appearance alongside Emmanuel Macron, who is making a state visit to Spain these days.

The Government, specifically Housing, has been talking with the parties for many months to put a housing package in black and white. The idea, in fact, was to have it approved in July, but it was postponed due to the lack of support. Maricarmen's eviction reactivated and accelerated everything. "We have incorporated measures from that group - in reference to Junts - and many others that were proposed to resolve the housing emergency. We have made an enormous effort in dialogue, negotiation, in reaching an agreement. I ask the groups, and it is my duty as president, that we have that dose of responsibility, because it is not an ideological issue, it is a humanity issue," argued the head of the Executive.

But that first analysis that Junts has done, after having the document at the last hour on Tuesday, leads them to put the brakes on. Sources from this parliamentary group avoid revealing the meaning of their vote, yes, but they point out that there were two key issues, such as the issue of vulture funds and the protection of families "and that is not included" as they intended. "We asked for rigor and solvency and after the first analysis of the text we see that these aspects are not there," they say.