Spain: left-wing coalition taking shape
Spain's caretaker Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez (PSOE) and Labour Minister Yolanda Díaz (Sumar) signed a coalition agreement on Tuesday, but still need more votes for a government majority, including from Catalan independence parties. If an agreement is not reached by the end of November, new elections will be held. Sánchez still faces a number of minefields, commentators note.
Now the real politics begin
The foundation stone for a coalition government has been laid, El País comments:
“This agreement should now pave the way for us to talk about real politics and no longer about tactics. ... The script for the legislative period has been written. It has more than 200 chapters and breaks a disturbing silence that lasted almost a month. ... This discretion is understandable given the delicate negotiations ahead - especially those with the pro-independence parties. As of today the elephant in the room is the amnesty. ... Those who narrate this story can either make the soufflé of independence deflate or burn themselves on it.”
Conflicts with businesses inevitable
El Mundo gives a voice to dissatisfied entrepreneurs:
“The agreement announced this Tuesday by PSOE and Sumar confirmed the worst fears of business associations and will be the subject of Pedro Sánchez's first altercation with the business community in the new legislature if he is re-elected. This will destroy the competitiveness not only of our companies but of the country, key Spanish businessmen said after the first details of the agreement emerged. Many of them are exporters, and in their view the increase in both labour costs and taxes resulting from the agreement will be counterproductive.”