PSOE and PP assume the blockade of the Judiciary until after the elections

The General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ) has returned to the fore after almost four months of public ostracism following the announcement by a member, Concepción Sáez, proposed by Izquierda Unida, to resign due to the "unsustainable" situation of the judiciary , and specifically of the interim scenario that the organ lives.

Oliver Thansan
Oliver Thansan
26 March 2023 Sunday 22:24
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PSOE and PP assume the blockade of the Judiciary until after the elections

The General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ) has returned to the fore after almost four months of public ostracism following the announcement by a member, Concepción Sáez, proposed by Izquierda Unida, to resign due to the "unsustainable" situation of the judiciary , and specifically of the interim scenario that the organ lives. In recent days a series of decisions have been taking place within the institution in an attempt to force PSOE and PP to reach an agreement once and for all to renew the twenty members. To date, neither of the two parties makes a move. The situation of an election year, with which each one of them is at stake, makes it unfeasible for any of them to take a step forward.

However, socialist sources suspect that behind these movements there is an interest from United We Can to move the hornet's nest and obtain some revenue in the election of the members. While for the popular behind this attempt to resign en bloc is the hand of Moncloa, which launches all the pressure on the PP in order to renew the body at the gates of the presidency of the Council of the European Union by Spain in the second half of this year.

Two weeks ago, Sáez communicated to the acting president, Rafael Mozo, his intention to resign through a letter, which was released this Wednesday. The communication caught the rest of the council members off guard, who were unaware of such a decision. The next day, the progressive member, former PSOE deputy, Álvaro Cuesta made a move and asked the president to raise in the plenary session that is being held this week the need to open a debate on the possibility of an en bloc resignation to force the PP and PSOE .

Rafael Mozo made three decisions, at the request of Cuesta. The first, to celebrate the following day, that is, last Friday, a meeting of progressive members, as a demonstration of the beginning of a serious debate on the option of standing up. The thesis of the progressives is that if the seven members plus the one proposed by the PNV, Enrique Lucas, resign, the body would be left without the minimum quorum so that it can continue to function. In that first meeting, however, it was already seen that the option of en bloc resignation is not very viable given the doubts that there may be criminal liability for abandoning public office.

The Conservatives are clear that they will not resign due to suspicions that it is an attempt at political pressure and a game of confusion as it occurred the same day that the motion of no confidence was voted against the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, and that the director resigned General of the Civil Guard María Gámez for a case of corruption that affects her husband.

Mozo's other decision was to hold a new meeting tomorrow Tuesday of the progressive group, in addition to opening the debate in plenary session on Thursday, where it will be decided whether to admit Sáez's resignation. While the powder keg in the CGPJ is lit again, PSOE and PP remain impassive. “It is a dead debate”, they maintain on both sides, although they acknowledge that these latest events have revived it. Both of them take it for granted that until the next general elections are over, the CGPJ will continue to function, despite the wear and tear that it entails on the judiciary. The Supreme Court has fewer and fewer magistrates, since it cannot make appointments while the council is in office, a situation that will worsen in the coming months due to the upcoming retirements that will not be able to be covered.

The Socialists believe that Alberto Núñez Feijóo cannot afford to reach an agreement with the PSOE without it giving votes to Vox, which will take advantage of it for its own benefit. For them, the PP has a concept of patrimonial justice. "They believe that Spain is theirs and when they don't rule they don't pay attention to democratic rules," these socialist sources maintain.

However, from the PP they point out that the renewal of the CGPJ is no longer on the government's agenda since Cándido Conde-Pumpido was appointed president of the Constitutional Court in January. In his opinion, he only wanted to renew the TC to obtain a progressive majority that would give the green light to all his laws, as has happened with abortion, euthanasia or the Celáa law.