Junts has accused Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez of preparing the ground to blame other parties and justify a snap election if Spain's General State Budget is not approved, a stance that matters in Catalonia because the party's seven votes in Congress remain crucial to the government's parliamentary arithmetic.

Speaking in Barcelona on Monday, Junts spokesperson Josep Rius said Sánchez was seeking "excuses" to call elections if the budget falls. For commuters, residents and businesses in Catalonia, the dispute matters because Junts has again said it will not negotiate a new State Budget with the PSOE, which leaves the government's spending plans without one of the votes it needs.

"What we will not do is negotiate the General State Budget or open any new kind of negotiation because we no longer have any pact signed with the PSOE," Rius said at a press conference on Monday.

According to Rius, Sánchez should explain how he intends to govern through to 2027 without a secure parliamentary majority. In earlier remarks reported from the same Junts line, Rius said the prime minister "must put on his glasses for distance vision because there are two years left" in the legislature.

Junts repeats that it has moved into opposition

Rius said Junts considers itself back in opposition after party members backed a break with the PSOE by nearly 87%, according to remarks he made in a separate press conference previously reported by Europa Press. He said that change means no new meetings and no new negotiations in Congress, including over the General State Budget.

At the same time, he drew a distinction between new talks and measures already discussed with the Socialists. He said Junts would still support proposals that had already been negotiated, including measures relating to customer service in Catalan, Galician and Basque, and a bill against repeat offending if it is brought forward.

"If he does it, we are the first interested in it being approved and going ahead," Rius said of the anti-repeat-offending law, which he said had been stalled in Congress for a year.
  • Junts says it will not open fresh negotiations on the General State Budget.
  • The party says it would still vote for measures already agreed with the PSOE.
  • Rius says Sánchez must explain how he plans to govern until 2027.

Why the dispute matters in Catalonia

The budget argument is not only a national political clash. It affects decisions that depend on state spending and parliamentary deals, including infrastructure and other measures regularly contested by Catalan parties. Junts has previously argued that support for a budget cannot be separated from unresolved commitments to Catalonia.

Rius has also used recent appearances to criticise what he called PSOE "non-compliance" and the silence of Catalan president Salvador Illa. Junts says it will begin a street campaign from this Saturday to explain those complaints to voters, with plans to reach about 100 municipalities.

Readers trying to follow the immediate consequence should watch the votes in Congress. Junts has made clear there will be no new budget negotiation under the current terms, but it has also left open support for measures that were already agreed before the break with the PSOE.

Reported by Source Text Link, europapress.es, Guillermo Altarriba Vilanova, Nico Tomás/ ACN, elmundo.es, Roger Palós, radio onda cero, Ot Serra, Anton Rosa, Europa Press Barcelona.