Senators have approved a motion from the Partido Popular (PP) calling for the dissolution of the Cortes and the immediate holding of early general elections. The PP and Vox backed it, as did UPN, while Junts abstained and the PNV voted against it. The result shows divisions among the government’s parliamentary partners and the challenge facing opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo as he seeks broader backing for his push to force an election.
The motion is not legally binding. It expresses the Senate’s political position but cannot dissolve parliament or compel the government to call an election. Under Article 115 of Spain’s Constitution, the King dissolves the Cortes on the Prime Minister’s proposal, after deliberation by the Council of Ministers. The Senate vote so applies political pressure, rather than providing a direct constitutional route to end the legislature.
The PP used its Senate majority to advance the initiative after similar demands for elections faced opposition in Congress. The dispute has since reached that chamber, where PSOE and Sumar blocked consideration of election-related amendments registered by the PP and Junts. The sequence reflects a contest over parliamentary procedure and over whether the governing coalition can continue without an early election.
The motion was intended to put Junts and the PNV under public pressure after both parties called for early elections. The PP wanted them to clarify their positions in a recorded vote. Junts abstained after demanding the effective application of the amnesty law as a condition of its support, but the PP rejected that amendment. Its abstention did not endorse either the government or the PP motion. Junts has continued to press for the amnesty’s full implementation while opposing alignment with a bloc that includes Vox.
The amnesty dispute is also shaped by the law’s case-by-case application. Following rulings by Spain’s Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court applied the amnesty to Oriol Junqueras and Jordi Turull, then to Dolors Bassa and Raül Romeva, removing their disqualifications and restoring their eligibility to hold public office. Carles Puigdemont’s position remained a separate legal issue, including whether the law applied to the embezzlement charge in his case. That distinction helps explain why Junts has treated implementation of the amnesty as a separate political condition. Catalan president Salvador Illa, criticizing Junts’ dealings with the PP, argued that a PP and Vox government would not have applied the amnesty. He said support from the PSC and ERC had been impressive to its approval and implementation.
During the Senate debate, Junts spokesperson Eduard Pujol criticized the PP for seeking his party’s support while rejecting its demands. He stressed the fundamental differences between the PP and Catalan sovereigntists, citing Puigdemont’s unresolved legal situation. Pujol also made clear that Junts would not align with an initiative involving Vox. The PNV did not take part in the debate and voted against the motion, as relations with the PP deteriorated over the Basque company Tubos Reunidos. The PNV’s pressure for elections has also been linked to the government’s ability to pass the state budget, rather than automatic support for either national party.
Left-wing parties in the Senate, including PSOE and Más Madrid, criticized the PP for bringing forward a motion blocked in Congress and for not presenting a formal motion of no confidence. They argued that the PP’s Senate majority lets it win votes, but does not necessarily help it build broader alliances. Geroa Bai’s Uxue Barkos criticized the motion and the decision to block debate in the lower house, warning that avoiding open discussion among coalition partners was a mistake.
The Senate vote follows a series of parliamentary maneuvers by the PP to increase pressure on Pedro Sánchez’s government and its allies. Recently, Feijóo ruled out presenting a no-confidence motion in Congress after the sentencing of José Luis Ábalos. Instead, he focused on demanding early elections and challenging Sánchez’s partners to clarify their positions, a strategy detailed in this recent report on the PP’s developing tactics.
The PP holds an absolute majority in the Senate, giving it influence over the chamber’s agenda, but it lacks the numbers in Congress to force a change of government. The election motion adds pressure on Sánchez without creating an immediate route to early elections. With the amnesty’s implementation still politically contentious and regional parties pursuing distinct demands, the vote shows the limits of parliamentary maneuvering in a fragmented legislature and the continuing uncertainty around the coalition’s stability.
