Sánchez Renews Political Majority
Sánchez Activates 2027 Budgets to Rebuild Investiture Majority, Address Catalonia Conflict
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Pedro Sánchez announced on June 3 that his government will launch the 2027 Budget process this week, betting that a new spending plan can rebuild the fragile coalition that put him in power. The announcement came at the 41st Cercle d'Economia summit in Barcelona, according to Europa Press and LaSexta.
Spain has been running on an extended 2023 budget for two years. Sánchez now needs to win back Junts and ERC — two Catalan independence parties whose support gives him his 179-seat majority in parliament. Without them, his government falls.
Sánchez Promises to Fix the Root of Catalonia Conflict
At the Barcelona summit, Sánchez pledged to "address the roots of the political conflict" with Catalonia. He said his government will fulfill the "Brussels agreements" made with Junts and honor its pacts with ERC, according to Europa Press. The term "roots" refers to a long-standing dispute over who controls tax collection in the region.
ERC leader Oriol Junqueras has demanded that Madrid hand Catalonia control over IRPF — Spain's income tax — as a condition for continued support. Junts figurehead Carles Puigdemont, still based in Belgium, has warned Sánchez that "nothing is for free." Both parties hold seats that Sánchez cannot afford to lose.
Why Skip 2026 and Jump Straight to 2027
Spain has operated on a technical rollover of the 2023 budget through all of 2024 and 2025. The government chose to skip a 2026 budget entirely, according to Diario Público. By targeting 2027, Sánchez turns the budget into a multi-year political deal — one designed to lock in his coalition partners for the rest of the legislature.
The 2027 Budget is expected to include a major overhaul of how Catalonia is financed, potentially letting the region manage a large share of its own income tax revenue — a move Treasury officials had previously blocked, according to Cadena SER. Brussels has also pressured Spain to keep its 2026 deficit below 0.1% of GDP, which will shape what the government can actually offer.
Feijóo's Motion of Censure Falls Flat Before It Starts
On June 2, PP leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo proposed an "instrumental" motion of censure — a formal vote to remove Sánchez — claiming 184 deputies wanted early elections, according to La Voz de Galicia. A motion of censure requires a majority of 176 votes to succeed. Feijóo courted Junts and the PNV to back the move.
It backfired quickly. Junts Secretary General Jordi Turull called the offer a "paripé" — a Spanish word for a hollow gesture — and told Feijóo to "go to Waterloo" if he wanted to talk seriously, according to THE OBJECTIVE. PNV's regional leader Imanol Pradales also rejected the plan, saying Vox's presence in the equation was a "red line" he would not cross.
The Numbers Behind Sánchez's Political Survival Bet
Sánchez's "investiture block" — PSOE, Sumar, ERC, Junts, PNV, Bildu, and BNG — holds 179 seats in parliament, according to infoLibre. He needs 176 to survive a no-confidence vote. But recent tensions with Junts have made that three-seat cushion feel thin. The 2027 Budget is his main tool to keep those parties on board.
On the economic side, Sánchez pointed to Spain reaching a record 22.3 million employed people in the first quarter of 2026, according to EFE. That figure gives him a platform to argue his minority government delivers results even without a formal budget. Political analyst Iván Redondo has argued Sánchez still has "real options" in 2027 because the right-wing bloc is capped at around 12 million votes — similar to its ceiling in 2011.
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