In Catalonia, the People’s Party (PP) has ruled out backing a no-confidence motion against Spain’s Socialist government, despite pressure from Vox. The party says it does not have the votes needed and believes a failed motion would end up strengthening Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.

PP leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo has said repeatedly that he lacks the numbers for a successful motion. Vox leader Santiago Abascal has urged the PP to table one anyway, arguing it would force Sánchez’s allies to show where they stand.

But the PP’s view is different. Alicia García, the party’s spokesperson in the Senate, said on Thursday that the PP would not “hand Sánchez a victory with a failed no-confidence motion”. She also said parties such as the Basque Nationalist Party, known as the PNB, and Junts should reflect on their positions.

Both the PNB and Junts have called for early general elections. They point to Sánchez’s minority government and corruption allegations around the PSOE. On Sunday, the PNB repeated that position at a rally in Durango. Aitor Esteban, the party’s president, said it would be irresponsible to continue beyond 2026 without direction, without budgets, without a stable majority, and with an uncontrolled and judicialised agenda.

Feijóo has not fully closed the door to a future motion, saying he would do everything possible for a change of government. For now, though, the PP is focused on the longer term and on the 2027 general election. The party believes time is working against Sánchez as new information emerges about José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero and other pending cases involving Sánchez’s brother and wife.

For the PP, Catalonia is part of that wider strategy. The region is the second largest in Congress by number of seats, after Andalusia, and the party won only six of Catalonia’s 48 deputies at the last election. The PP says improving its results in Catalonia will be important to Feijóo’s prospects, and the launch of his general election campaign coincided with the call for the Catalan PP congress. More Catalonia news