MADRID: Spain’s left-wing government on Tuesday approved new social benefits, including increased support for families caring for seriously ill children, ahead of a snap election next month.

The measures also extend temporary sick pay for women suffering from menopause-related conditions and widen access to survivor pensions for unmarried couples.

Government spokeswoman Elma Saiz defended the timing, saying the government had a duty to continue addressing citizens’ needs.

“This government continues to govern. It must continue to respond to the challenges facing citizens,” she told a news conference after a weekly cabinet meeting.

The measures were adopted through a royal decree-law, allowing them to take effect immediately but requiring parliamentary approval within 30 days.

Saiz said expanding social protection was compatible with fiscal discipline and strong economic indicators.

The announcement comes after Spain’s electoral commission opened proceedings against Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez earlier this month over a news conference at his official Moncloa residence the day after he called a snap election for November 29.

The commission said Sanchez had gone beyond presenting cabinet decisions by praising his government’s record, criticizing the opposition and expressing a desire to secure a larger parliamentary majority.

“The prime minister can defend his political position and criticize those of other parties, but during the electoral period he cannot do so by taking advantage of the public resources available to him by virtue of his office,” the commission said.

It added, however, that the election campaign did not prevent constitutional institutions from carrying out their normal functions, including the government’s adoption of measures.

Sanchez’s Socialists trail the main opposition conservative Popular Party (PP) in most opinion polls ahead of the election.