The president of the Congress of Deputies, Francina Armengol, has finally set the date for the investiture debate of the socialist candidate, Pedro Sánchez, for next Wednesday and Thursday. The parliamentary formations have been waiting for weeks for the third authority of the State to make this announcement, which is its exclusive responsibility. However, Armengol has preferred to submit to the needs of the candidate, general secretary of her party, to set the call for the Plenary Session.
“I have spoken in recent days with the candidate, who has told me that he is now able to go to the investiture debate,” Armengol confirmed. All parliamentary groups have already been informed of the date.
Armengol’s announcement is thus made public 48 hours before the plenary session, which will begin on Wednesday at 12:00 p.m. with the candidate’s intervention. Next, the president of the Chamber will open a recess after which the leader of the PP will speak. The candidate may exercise the right to reply for as long as he wishes, and his interlocutor may exercise the right of rejoinder for a specified period of time. The interventions of the parliamentary groups follow one another in order from largest to smallest.
Sánchez has authorized the date of the debate once he has achieved the necessary support to be sworn in as president with a comfortable absolute majority that, barring improbable last-minute surprises, will take place in 179 if it is y 171 noes.
PSOE, Sumar, PNV, Bildu, ERC, Junts, BNG and Canary Coalition will grant their trust to the leader of the second party in the Chamber after having reached investiture agreements with all of them that include as the main point the approval of a complete amnesty law for all those involved in the call process independence of Catalonia which, in addition, may be extended to secessionists accused in other cases as demanded by Junts, the party led by the fugitive Puigdemont.