Chaotic congress session approves sustainable mobility law
Spain's Congress experienced a tense session on October 8, 2025, with a PP deputy's honeymoon absence and a last-minute deal with Podemos enabling the sustainable mobility law's approval. The vote, fraught with errors and rumors, ended with 174 votes in favor after Podemos abstained. Transport Minister Óscar Puente confirmed the eleventh-hour agreement.
After 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, October 8, 2025, PP leaders in Congress showed dismay over deputy Guillermo Mariscal's absence; the parliamentarian and second secretary was on his honeymoon in Mexico without a telematic vote. Cadena SER broke the news, risking an accidental approval of the sustainable mobility law—a key Transport Ministry initiative—due to the PP's shortfall, echoing Alberto Casero's past labor reform blunder. Government sources confirmed awareness of the issue but focused on securing Podemos' support.
PP Secretary General Miguel Tellado appeared grave at 6:55 p.m. near the chamber and pulled aside Macarena Montesinos for a private talk. The PP faulted PSOE and Sumar for denying Mariscal's telematic vote on 'parliamentary courtesy' grounds, citing Socialist Alfonso Gómez de Celis' approval for the Betis-Chelsea Conference League final in Poland last May. Congress rules' Article 82 exclude honeymoons from remote voting provisions.
A rumor of a Sumar deputy's telematic voting mistake briefly eased PP tensions, but suspense lingered. Moments before the vote, the Transport Ministry announced a last-minute deal with Podemos. Minister Óscar Puente entered the chamber, affirming: “Yes, there is an agreement,” without specifying a yes or abstention.
The session also covered an arms embargo validation for Israel and a nine-point PP motion. It emerged that PNV's Mikel Legarda was ill and not voting remotely. Ultimately, Podemos abstained, and the law passed with 174 yes votes. In the corridors, someone quipped: “Musho Betis manque pierda.”