PP and Junts forge rare alliance against Snchez over early elections

The failed parliamentary motion to force early elections has reignited the tactical alliance between the conservative Popular Party (PP) and the Catalan separatist Junts per Catalunya, despite denials of any formal pact. On Wednesday, PP and Junts jointly criticised the government’s refusal to call elections, with the PP now considering appealing to Spain’s Constitutional Court over the Speaker’s veto of opposition amendments. The move underscores a rare moment of cross-party coordination against Pedro Sánchez’s administration, even as internal tensions within Junts threaten to derail its own electoral strategy.

The immediate trigger was a motion tabled on 16 June demanding Sánchez dissolve parliament, which was rejected after the governing PSOE-Sumar coalition blocked it in the lower house’s Mesa. The PP argues that the Speaker’s decision to block the motion—on grounds that calling elections falls within the prime minister’s exclusive prerogative—sets a dangerous precedent, with party sources pointing to ten previous votes in 2026 alone where similar initiatives were permitted, including motions to sack ministers or approve budgets . “The Mesa’s double standards are plain,” said a PP spokesperson. “If they can debate the dismissal of a minister, they can debate elections.”

Junts, meanwhile, has been consumed by an internal power struggle over its candidate for Barcelona mayor, where four factions are vying to lead the ticket ahead of municipal elections. The contest has exposed deep divisions within the party, with regional leader Laura Borràs and former president Carles Puigdemont’s allies locked in a bitter dispute over control of the party’s future direction. “Barcelona is a headache Junts cannot afford,” noted one analyst. The infighting risks overshadowing the party’s broader push for early national elections, a goal it shares with the PP in a rare convergence of interests.

Despite the public show of unity, neither party has confirmed a formal agreement. The PP’s leadership has repeatedly denied any deal with Junts, emphasising instead a shared opposition to Sánchez’s governance. Yet the synchronised criticism of the government’s election stance suggests a de facto alliance, at least in the short term. With Sánchez’s government already under pressure from multiple fronts, the renewed PP-Junts front adds another layer of instability to Spain’s already volatile political landscape.