Three distinct right-wing political forces (PP, Vox, and Junts) joined forces to bring down a decree containing various social aids.
The blocked measures included updating pensions, subsidies for public transport, and transfers for victims of the La Palma volcano eruption.
The blockage affects in particular the 12 million pensioners in Spain and those benefiting from the minimum income mandate.
The decree also included non-social measures, all falling within the broad economic consensus.
The return of a PNV-owned building in Paris, illicitly expropriated during the Nazi occupation, was also incorporated into the decree.
The opposition has yet to explain why they oppose the return of this heritage.
It is anticipated that the individual measures within the decree might be fragmented and approved with shifting majorities.
Conclusion: Party interests prevail over citizen needs in Spanish politics. The voting reveals a continuing weakness in the government and a deviation from focusing on the acute challenges faced by the country.