The PSOE has collapsed and given in to the demands of their communist IU party, returning the housing rights to the IU minister for Housing and Development, in a humiliating climbdown for the Andaluz president.
President Diaz of Andalucia had revoked those rights yesterday in an unprecedented move, after Minister Elena Cortes started handing out free homes to a bunch of squatters who had been evicted from their squats earlier in the week.
At the time, the PSOE had said that there were “over 10,000 families waiting for social housing” (in Seville alone) and the Minister was not justified in letting these people jump the queue just because they were in the media spotlight.
El Mundo later revealed that one of the beneficiaries not only was a paid up member of the IU, but had a work contract at an IU controlled townhall near by, which apart from the obvious conflict of interest, would mean she and her family were ineligible for social housing. After reporters started turning up, this member returned the keys to the flat.
Unable to sack the minister under the terms of the coalition that governs Andalucia, Diaz opted instead to officially remove the rights of Elena Cortes to assign social housing.
Diaz appeared to be playing for a removal of the Minister in question and replacement with someone else.
But the IU on Friday refused to do this and instead went for the nuclear option: they “suspended” the coalition until the rights were returned.
Faced with either trying to rule Andalusia from a minority government, or having to call early elections in the region, Diaz and the PSOE party gave in and let the IU play it their way.
The flats that have been assigned remain assigned, and Diaz has had her wings clipped.