His Spanish government is in a political crisis Pedro Sanchez about the reaction caused by the introduction of a new law on sexual offenses.

In particular, the Sánchez government is trying to find a solution to a provision in the law that appears to have reduced prison terms for convicted sex offenders.

As reported by Politico, the controversy surrounding this provision has generated friction in the government due to the reaction of the left-wing partners that are part of it.

Sentence commutations and wave of political reactions

Law – more commonly known as “only yes means yes“- had the fundamental purpose of making changes towards the protection of victims of sexual violence.

In particular, under the new law, it is no longer necessary to prove that violence or intimidation was used in rape. A law passed in October aims to protect the victims of such attacks and legally strengthen the concept of consent in sexual relations.

But according to a Politico report, the law also resulted in reduced sentences in more than 200 convicted sexual assault cases because the legal wording of the concept of sexual assault introduced into the law resulted in lower minimum sentences.

After months of pressure from the opposition, Prime Minister Sanchez said that The government plans to revise the law to address this issue. decided. The representative of the government, for his part, referred to the necessary “corrections” of the law.

However, Unidas Podemos -the smallest partner in the government coalition-, who are in the “hands” of the ministry that proposed this law, deny any changes and amendments. The Unidas Podemos side insists that the law is technically correct and that the commutation of sentences is due to the decisions of conservative judges.

“Judges don’t apply the law properly”

According to Ione Ballara, Minister of Social Rights from Unidas Podemos, “every new law that comes into force and brings big changes takes time to work”, while stressing that “there are judges who continue to approach cases in a sexist and patriarchal light, as a result of which they do not proceed with the correct application of the law.”

The case also drew backlash from right-wing opposition parties, with the leader of the conservative People’s Party declaring that “Sánchez will go down in history as the one who stood in the way of feminist claims in Spain.” Criticism is also carried out by prominent figures of the ruling Socialist Party.

Although Unidas Podemos publicly rejects the revision of the law, it seems that channels of communication with the Socialist Party (PSEO) are open so that a solution to the issue of leniency can be found. However, as noted in the Politico report, the Unidas Podemos side is concerned that a possible change in legislation would undermine the concept of consent proposed by law.

However, for my part Prime Minister Sanchez announces his party will seek parliamentary support elsewhere – perhaps even from the People’s Party – if there is no agreement on this issue with its government partners.

The political impact of the case

Politico does not miss the opportunity to emphasize that this is not the first clash between the PSOE and the UP since their government cooperation began in 2020. The supply of military equipment to Ukraine, the monarchy issue and the law on transgender rights have caused friction between the two sides, but this time the damage to their relationship seems even greater.

Pablo Simon, a political scientist at the Carlos III University of Madrid, argues that the case is part of an ongoing confrontation between the PSOE and the UP “over who is the main political spokesman for the feminist question.”

He also added that this issue negatively affects the government, with “reducing fines in accordance with the law should have a significant impact on the electoral prospects of the left more broadly.”

Politico concludes its analysis with an assessment that while the ruling coalition is expected to “survive”, the political fallout from the case could soon weigh on Spain’s upcoming elections before the end of the year. .

According to Politico