Government Approves a Package of Social Benefits One Month Before the Snap Election
Spain's government approved a package of new social benefits by decree law on Tuesday, focused on families with seriously ill children, women with menopause symptoms and unmarried couples, just over a month before the November 29 snap election.
Spain's government approved on Tuesday, through a royal decree law, a package of new social benefits that takes effect immediately, though it must be ratified by Congress within 30 days. The announcement was made by government spokeswoman Elma Saiz.
The measures include strengthened financial support for families caring for children with serious illnesses, an extension of temporary sick leave for women experiencing menopause related symptoms, and an expansion of survivor pensions to also cover unmarried couples in registered partnerships.
The package arrives just over a month before the November 29 snap election, in which Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's Socialist party is trailing the conservative Popular Party in the polls. Spain's electoral commission had also recently opened proceedings against Sanchez over remarks about the election he made from his official residence.
Saiz argued that the government continues to govern and must respond to citizens' needs without giving up fiscal discipline or the country's strong economic momentum. The electoral commission itself has acknowledged that the campaign period does not stop the government from adopting normal policy measures, even as it separately criticized Sanchez for using public resources to tout his government's record and criticize the opposition during the campaign.
