The Spanish newspaper’s account places the beginning of the discussions within the circle closest to the prime minister. The source says an early election was the subject of the discussion, but does not identify in detail the participants in Sánchez’s inner circle.
According to EL PAÍS, the issue emerged when Sánchez’s group began to learn that Junts would choose “no” in opposition to the government. The Catalan party’s vote against the government is thus identified by the newspaper as the factor that accompanied the start of the discussion.
The assessment reported by the newspaper is unequivocal: the current Congress would no longer be considered viable, and Spain should move toward new elections. In the material available, this is an internal position reported by EL PAÍS, not a decision formally confirmed by multiple sources.
EL PAÍS also reports that doubts remained about the state of the left, but that the reasoning described did not identify an alternative to calling elections. The account does not further specify the nature of those doubts.
The available information therefore supports the existence of a reported plan or an internal discussion about an early election, but does not explicitly confirm that a formal call has already been made. This limitation is also consistent with the way EL PAÍS presents the matter.
The material provided contains no date for the vote. EL PAÍS describes the inclination toward an election, but does not indicate when it would take place.
The case concerns Spain, its Congress and general elections, according to the source’s framing. The account, however, remains based on a single report, that of EL PAÍS.