Ábalos has resisted calls to resign from parliament and has spent the past year with the “Mixed Group” of lawmakers from smaller far-left and nationalist parties, but has consistently supported draft laws proposed by the Socialists. His ongoing support has provided Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and his left-wing allies a crucial one-vote advantage over the 171-seat opposition, comprising the center-right People’s Party, the far-right Vox group, and the Navarrese conservatives.
Despite Ábalos’ imprisonment leading to the automatic suspension of his rights as a lawmaker, he retains his seat until he exhausts all possible appeals. With Spain’s 350-seat parliament evenly divided between left- and right-wing blocs, the outcome of legislation now solely depends on the votes of the seven lawmakers from the Catalan separatist Junts party.
This presents a challenge for Sánchez, as last month Junts distanced itself from the Socialists and announced it would no longer support government-proposed legislation, as it previously had. Unless Sánchez can mend ties with Junts, passing legislation during this term, set to conclude in the summer of 2027, will be unreliable.
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