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Pablo Echenique, one of Podemos' leading MPs. SUR
Increase in defence spending triggers row with left-wing Podemos in delicate government coalition

Increase in defence spending triggers row with left-wing Podemos in delicate government coalition

The party's members came out claiming that they were unaware that defence spending would increase so much

Friday, 7 October 2022, 11:16

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It was only an eleventh- hour agreement between ministers of the PSOE-Socialist party and those of junior coalition partner Unidas Podemos that enabled the 2023 Budget to go to parliament this week.

However, one element caused an immediate row afterwards with the Podemos party. Their senior members came out to say they were not aware that defence spending was going to increase so much and that it had been included behind their backs. Podemos has long been opposed to the increase in expenditure demanded by Nato.

One of Podemos’ leading MPs, Pablo Echenique, accused the PSOE of “disloyalty” after closing the deal on the Budget and added it was a “unilateral” increase that had been hidden from them which was “shameful”.

However, there is little that Podemos can do as splitting with the PSOEwould almost certainly mean a general election with a likely loss of power by the left.

Echenique confirmed this by saying Podemos had no plans to torpedo the coalition, which would be “irresponsible”.

The larger PSOEside of the government was quick to accuse its smaller partner of lying by saying they had not be informed of the defence spending increase.

María Jesús Montero said, “Do you think that those who sat down to negotiate [the Budget] didn’t ask anything about an issue that is top of the news at the moment?”

It is understood that the two sides had agreed to include the 6.5% military salary increase in the Budget document but not to mention in the calculation other support for defence that pushed the increase to almost 26% year on year, including money from the EUand grants and support for manufacturers and shipyards to renew Spanish military hardware.

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