Institutional declaration by the President of the Government of Spain

Moncloa Palace, Madrid

Institutional declaration by the President of the Government of Spain

Good morning, I will be brief and I will also try to be very clear.

I have just had a meeting with His Majesty the King, in which I informed the Head of State of the decision to call a Council of Ministers this very afternoon to dissolve Parliament and to a call general election using the prerogative the Constitution affords the President of the Government of Spain.

The formal announcement of the election will be published tomorrow, Tuesday, in the Official State Gazette, so that the election will be held on Sunday 23 July, in accordance with the deadlines established by law.

I have taken this decision in light of the results of yesterday's elections.

The first consequence of these results will be that magnificent regional presidents and socialist mayors will be displaced with impeccable management. This is despite the fact that many of them have seen their support increase yesterday.

The second consequence will be that many institutions will be administered by new majorities formed by the People's Party and VOX.

Although yesterday's votes were local and regional in scope, the sense of the vote sends a message that goes beyond that.

That is why, as President of the Government of Spain, and also as Secretary General of the Socialist Party, I personally assume responsibility for results and I believe it is necessary to respond and submit our democratic mandate to the will of the people.

Spain is on the verge of overcoming a period of crisis resulting from the emergence of COVID-19, as well as the war in Ukraine. We are on a clear path of growth, job creation and social cohesion. And at this point in the legislature, the Government has pushed ahead with the major reforms committed to in the investiture speech, in the government programme and also in our agreement with the European Commission.

Moreover, our country is about to take on a very important responsibility in this geopolitical context that Europe is experiencing, namely the rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

All these reasons, I believe, make it advisable to clarify the will of Spaniards. A clarification of the policies to be implemented by the Government of Spain and a clarification of the political forces that should lead this phase.

There is only one foolproof method to solve these doubts. That method is democracy and, therefore, I believe that the best thing is for Spaniards to speak out, to speak out without delay to define the political direction of the country.

Thank you very much.

(Transcript edited by the State Secretariat for Communication)

Original speech in Spanish

Non official translation