Smiling but not saying a word, Sanchez left parliament straight after losing the budget vote, while opposition parties urged him to call elections immediately. Conservative People’s Party leader Pablo Casado said the vote, which was 191 against to 158 in favor with one abstention, had been a de facto confidence vote against Sanchez. CATALONIAMuch of the finger-pointing among parties as to why the budget vote failed, as well as the first comments on the looming election campaign, focused around how to handle Catalonia’s simmering independence drive. Socialist officials countered that rejection of the budget showed they were not making concessions to Catalan separatists. The Catalan parties, unhappy with the government’s refusal to consider or discuss - amongst other issues - an independence referendum, voted against the budget, as did the centre-right and the conservatives.

Source: bd News24 February 13, 2019 15:00 UTC