The spokesman for the Popular Group in the Parliament of Andalusia, Toni Martín, has criticized the President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, for maintaining "numerous breaches" with Andalusia. Among them, he has mentioned the "1.500 billion euros that the community loses annually due to regional financing, the 70 hydraulic works of state competence that remain unexecuted and the lack of financing of 50% of the cost of the dependency service, despite it being a legal obligation.
Toni Martín has denounced that "Pedro Sánchez and his Government do not show the same diligence with Andalusia as with the PNV", accusing the central Executive of prioritising political agreements over the needs of citizens. "It's not a question of non-compliance, but of staying in the Moncloa chair for another quarter of an hour", He said.
Criticism of Sánchez's political strategy
El popular spokesman He has linked these criticisms to the Omnibus decree, assuring that the President of the Government is more concerned with "bringing closer positions with those who keep him in power than with revaluing pensions." In addition, he has accused Sánchez of "using pensioners as hostages" and if he had chosen to make a pact with Carles Puigdemont instead of seeking the support of the Popular Party. "If he had eliminated the most controversial elements of the initial decree, the PP would have supported him unconditionally," said Toni Martín.
Along these lines, he has insisted that «Sanchez is more interested in confrontation with the PP than in solving people's problems» and has urged the central government to abandon "traps and deceptions."
Andalusia loses 1.500 billion euros every year, Sánchez does not undertake the 70 hydraulic infrastructures that our land needs.@toni_miglesias pic.twitter.com/qKcpoLF7HL
– PP of Andalusia (@ppandaluz) January 29, 2025
Andalusia, with the best socioeconomic data
Faced with the situation that he describes of the central Executive, Toni Martín He highlighted the Andalusian context, highlighting that the autonomous community is starting the new political year "with the best socio-economic data in its history." He explained that Andalusia is consolidating itself as "a thriving community, generating employment and with unemployment figures at historically low levels."
He also considered it "great news" that the president of the Andalusian Government, Juanma Moreno, has been chosen for chair the Committee of the Regions of the European UnionToni Martín has argued that this appointment strengthens the institutional role of Andalusia in Europe, recalling that "70% of European laws affect municipalities and regions." In his opinion, the community had never had "an institutional position in Europe like the one it has now with Juanma Moreno."
Toni Martín denounces the institutional discredit of Sánchez
The Popular Party spokesman also referred to the judicial summons of the Attorney General of the State, Álvaro García Ortiz, who has been called to testify as a defendant. "Today is not just any other day in Spanish democracy, because it is the first time in 50 years that a State Attorney General appears before the Court as a defendant for a serious crime," he said.
In this sense, he has considered the situation as "a disgrace and an institutional discredit", stressing that "the person truly responsible is Pedro Sánchez, who appointed him and keeps him in office."
For this reason, Toni Martín has announced that the Popular Party will take to the first plenary session of the new session a non-legislative proposal (PNL) in defence of an "independent and impartial" State Attorney General's Office. "We cannot remain passive in the face of a situation in which the person who should be accusing those who break the law sits in the dock as the accused," has argued.
Demand for improvements in the basic assistance program
Finally, Toni Martín has announced that the Popular Party will also present a PNL in the next plenary session to urge the central government to modify the new Basic Material Assistance programme. As he explained, the change in the aid model affects 200.000 vulnerable Andalusians who depended on the system of cash cards, leaving these people without coverage.
