The left-wing parties and politicians have unanimously rejected the decision of the Constitutional Court (TC) to paralyze the processing of the reform that affects its renewal. The criticisms have come as expected from the government itself, beginning with the general secretary of Podemos and minister of Social Rights, Ione Belarra, who pointed to the right wing of TC as responsible for preventing "a democratic vote in the seat of sovereignty popular". "It's time to show that we Democrats are more," said the minister on Twitter.
From a more institutional perspective, the president of the Congress, Meritxell Batet, reacted. From the headquarters of the institution itself, Batet has spoken of "a fact that is unprecedented in the history of our democracy" and that causes great concern "from the point of view of the functioning of the legislative power". The president has denounced that in forty years of democracy "the effective suspension of a basic function such as parliamentary debate and legislative power had not been contemplated."
Be that as it may, Batet has remarked that Congress will comply with the decision of the Constitutional Court, before which they will present an appeal with the intention of "being heard" and defending "parliamentary autonomy" as well as "the functions of this legislative power".
The president of the Senate, Ander Gil, has expressed himself in the same vein, although with harsher words. In an institutional statement from the Upper House, the socialist leader has spoken of a "turning point in our history" due to a measure taken "without having listened to the Cortes." Gil has remarked the seriousness that the decision of the TC supposes for the Senate, whose inviolability "is affected". "He had never been stripped of his ability to legislate," said Gil, who, like Batet, has announced that he will abide by and comply with the decision, "which will not be an obstacle to studying ways to preserve parliamentary autonomy ".
With a serious and solemn tone, Gil has spoken of "serious breach of our democratic system" and of "instrumentalization" of the Constitutional functions, which supposes "a step of difficult return" for the democratic system.
Concern and compliance have also been the keys in the statement by the Minister of the Presidency, Félix Bolaños. The socialist leader has remarked that with the Constitutional decision "for the first time the representatives of the citizens are stripped of their ability to legislate", a serious measure for which he blames the Popular Party. "The PP wants to control parliament with judicial resources", noting that with this measure a new door has been opened "that we do not know where it will lead us to". Likewise, Bolaños has denounced the TC magistrates themselves for paralyzing their own renewal, "pending for six months."
The second vice president of the Government, Yolanda Díaz, has also denounced the "deterioration of our institutions due to the capture of partisan interests of the judicial leadership", highlighting that "for the first time in our democratic history the representatives of the people have seen their activity partially suspended legislative". Ignoring the siren songs that have sounded in UP throughout Monday, Díaz has remarked that the response to the decision must be made with "dialogue, with serenity and with constructive politics."
For his part, the president of the United We Can group in the Congress of Deputies, Jaume Asens, affirmed that the one who is showing a "seditious attitude" are the Constitutional magistrates who have decided to paralyze the process of a legislative initiative despite having their mandate expired. In an interview on Radio Nacional, he assured that these judges are the ones who "are disobeying" and have incurred in "open rebellion" by making such a far-reaching decision with their mandate expired and refusing to be relieved. "We are not disobeying," he said in contrast, referring to United We Can, although he made it clear that "democracy and parliamentary autonomy must be defended," which he sees "at stake."
Asens was convinced that citizens are "accustomed" to seeing "blows" against democracy "with a tricorne hat, with a submachine gun", but other types of blows "without weapons" can be "just as effective when it comes to breaking the rules of the democratic game". Along the same lines, Iñigo Errejón, leader of Más País, has pronounced himself with a message on Twitter where he considers "the democratic outrage consummated", accusing the magistrates of the TC of breaking the law and gagging "the Courts elected by popular vote ". "Democracy must be defended," he concludes.
