Spain’s left wing government on Tuesday approved a package of new social benefits, five weeks before the snap election Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has called for November 29. The measures include increased support for families caring for seriously ill children, an extension of temporary sick pay for women suffering from menopause related conditions, and wider access to survivor pensions for unmarried couples.
The package was adopted through a royal decree law. That instrument lets the measures take effect immediately, but they require parliamentary approval within 30 days, which means the Cortes will vote on the government’s social package inside the election period itself.
Government spokeswoman Elma Saiz defended the timing. This government continues to govern and must continue to respond to the challenges facing citizens, she told a news conference after the weekly cabinet meeting, adding that expanding social protection was compatible with fiscal discipline and strong economic indicators.
The defence was necessary because the electoral commission has already opened proceedings against Sanchez over a news conference at his official Moncloa residence the day after he called the snap election. The commission said he had gone beyond presenting cabinet decisions by praising his government’s record, criticising the opposition and expressing a desire for a larger parliamentary majority, while also accepting that the campaign does not prevent constitutional institutions from carrying out their normal functions. Sanchez’s Socialists trail the conservative Popular Party in most opinion polls ahead of the vote, which is why the line between governing and campaigning is the contested ground of this decree.