Pedro Sánchez faces four‑year gap in State of the Nation debate amid parliamentary gridlock

It has been four years since Spain’s Congress last held a State of the Nation debate, a key parliamentary session that former prime ministers convened annually. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has not called a new debate since July 2022, despite the 2024 Democratic Action Plan pledging an annual debate. Opposition parties, led by the PP, argue the absence lets the government avoid a comprehensive political accountability test and have pushed a bill to make the debate mandatory; the Senate approved it but it remains stalled in the Congress.

At the same time, Sánchez’s government is confronting a severe legislative impasse. An extraordinary plenary session voted to overturn the previously approved spending ceiling, a move opposed by a coalition of PP, Vox, Junts and UPN, raising the prospect of a confidence vote and possible early elections. Junts has refused to back the budget, accusing Sánchez of breaking the investiture pact, while the PNV urges a clear electoral timetable. The combined lack of a State of the Nation debate and the budget defeat highlight mounting pressure on the Sánchez administration from both opposition and coalition partners.