In Spain, the Popular Party (PP) is once again challenging Pedro Sanchez's support for the Moroccan plan for autonomy in Western Sahara. The opposition party's group of deputies presented a proposal to the Foreign Affairs Committee, which, while non-binding for the government, calls for a return to «consensus» on this issue, aligning with the resolutions adopted by an absolute majority in the House on June 30 and July 13, 2022. The parliamentary initiative also urges the executive to increase humanitarian actions for the benefit of the population in the Tindouf camps in Algeria. Notably, in 2023, Spain provided 11.6 million euros in humanitarian aid to the Polisario, as revealed by Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, in response to a written question from MP Idoia Sagastizabal of the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV), a group that supports the separatist movement in both Houses of Parliament. The conservatives also call on Pedro Sanchez to brief the deputies on «the proposals made by the personal envoy of the Secretary-General of the United Nations for Western Sahara, Staffan de Mistura, as well as on the situation and the work of MINURSO». In 2022, the deputies and senators of the Popular Party voted in favor of all non-binding proposals, having criticized Pedro Sanchez's backing of the Moroccan autonomy plan in the Sahara. Following the Spanish government's meetings with King Mohammed VI on February 21 in Rabat, the PP requested Pedro Sanchez's appearance in the Lower House of Parliament to explain the circumstances of his visit to Morocco. The opposition party sought clarification from the Prime Minister regarding the organization of his trip to Rabat. Additionally, the leading political force in both the Lower House and the Senate wanted details on the nature of the discussions Pedro Sanchez had with the sovereign and the head of the executive, Aziz Akhannouch, during his visit to the Moroccan capital. The Sahara issue is regularly utilized by the PP to undermine the government, similar to the amnesty project for Catalan separatists and the mask scandal, which threatens to shake the foundations of the PSOE.
