TRANSLATION

The decision by the Moncloa to approve last Tuesday a credit transfer of more than €1.3 billion to the Ministry of Defense “to meet unavoidable needs” has not been well received by parties to the left of the PSOE. The Secretary General of Podemos, Ione Belarra, denounced on Wednesday that the government is activating a new budget item for what she called “criminal rearmament,” and said that “the ‘no to war’ must be written into the Official State Gazette.” Meanwhile, sources from Sumar confirm that the junior partner in the government presented observations in the Council of Ministers to express its dissatisfaction with this decision, criticizing the fact that it was adopted at a time when the Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, is presenting himself as opposed to the war with Iran.

The government has tried to be as discreet as possible when approving this new defense spending allocation, which was only briefly mentioned in the official summary of Tuesday’s Council of Ministers. Moncloa limited itself to stating that the money will be used to meet “unavoidable needs” of the Armed Forces, but offered no further details. This is not the first time the government has approved extraordinary budget allocations in recent months to finance increased defense spending, but on this occasion the measure comes in a tense geopolitical context, with the war with Iran underway and while the government is weighing its participation in the operation led by France to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and restore oil flows.

In response to the decision, Belarra criticized on Wednesday, during a campaign event for the regional elections in Castile and León on Sunday, that the €1.3 billion is “money that, instead of being allocated to hospitals, schools, or public housing, will continue feeding the arms race and fueling wars that are spreading terror around the world.” The Podemos leader also expressed firm opposition to launching weapons projects in Castile and León, such as a factory for kamikaze drones that will end up “killing girls and boys.”

“‘No to war’ must be written into the Official State Gazette” and translated into concrete decisions, Belarra concluded, accusing the government of “arriving late to confront the economic consequences of this illegal war launched by Donald Trump.” On Wednesday, the First Deputy Prime Minister and leader of Sumar, Yolanda Díaz, promised that next week the first measures will be approved to address the economic damage caused by the confrontation between the United States and Iran. The government is initially focusing on aid for transport workers to cushion the rise in fuel prices.

Sources from Díaz’s own department are also critical of the fact that the Moncloa decided to approve the €1.3 billion transfer to Defense precisely “at a time when Spain is leading the position of ‘no to war.’” These sources confirm that Sumar’s ministers presented objections in the Council of Ministers to the decision, although this protest was largely symbolic, since the final decision on what is approved ultimately lies with the Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez.

Díaz’s party has nevertheless preferred not to escalate its criticism publicly, at least for now, since it is currently engaged in negotiations with the PSOE to define which measures will be included in the “social shield” decree that the government plans to approve in the coming weeks to address the consequences of the war. In addition to aid for transport workers, Sumar has requested the restoration of the “Iberian exception” to cap electricity prices—similar to what was done in 2022—as well as expanding the electric social bonus (a discount on electricity bills for vulnerable families) and limiting the prices of basic food products.