The new Spanish Government starts this Monday

USPA NEWS - Although coalition governments are common in Europe - up to 19 countries are currently governed by coalitions - in Spain the formula is new. This Sunday, the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, presented to King Felipe VI the composition of his Cabinet, which will have four vice-presidencies and 18 ministries. It is the most numerous since 1981.

It is "a plural government, a coalition, but with a clear purpose of unity," said Pedro Sánchez in a public appearance after communicating to the King the composition of the Cabinet and signing the appointments of its vice presidents and ministers. In the new Spanish Government, which will take office on Monday after promising its charges before the King and will hold its first meeting on Tuesday, there will be 11 men and 11 women, including 17 socialists and five from the extreme left from the Podemos coalition. The Socialists maintain the most important departments in the new structure of the Government: Finance, Defense, Interior, Justice, Social Security and Foreign Affairs, among others, while the extreme left will take over Labor, Universities, Consumption and Equality, in addition to a social vice president.

Precisely the distribution of vice-presidencies caused this week the first touch between the partners of the Government, having created four vice-presidencies, only one of them for the extreme left. But the Government strives to project an image of unity: "It is a Government with many voices but with one word," Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said Sunday. And the leader of the far-left coalition Podemos and Spain's new vice president, Pablo Iglesias, insists on it in his public statements.

As Minister of Foreign Affairs, replacing Josep Borrel, who was appointed EU High Representative for International Relations, Pedro Sánchez has chosen Arancha González Laya, who until now held the Executive Presidency of the International Trade Center, a joint agency of the UN and the World Trade Organization. An economic profile for international relations in Spain.

Because the new Government of Sánchez sets economic goals such as increasing the competitiveness of the Spanish economy and fighting the deficit, fostering inter-territorial relations - in the midst of the crisis due to the independence threat in Catalonia -, fighting against climate change and defending the full equality between men and women, among others. Objectives, many of them, shared by the two government partners. And some, difficult to achieve, such as deficit control, because, before starting to govern, the abundance of ministries triggers public spending.

This Monday, the new vice presidents and ministers will promise their positions in the palace of the Zarzuela before King Felipe VI. Subsequently they will take possession of their positions in their corresponding departments. And on Tuesday they will hold their first meeting, in which the increases in pensions and salaries of officials are expected to be approved. A meeting could also be held this week between Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and the president of the regional government of Catalonia, Quim Torra, who was disabled by the Electoral Board. Torra warned that he does not recognize the authority of the Board and refused to resign, something in which he has the support of the Catalan Parliament.