The president of the Senate, Pedro Rollán, (Madrid, 1969), is clear that when the Amnesty law reaches the Upper House, if it does, it will have to be processed. The opposite believes it would be unconstitutional. The reports he has requested from the lawyers will be basic to decide what he will do. The law should have already reached the Upper House, but its arrival will be delayed by a month, due to the discrepancies between the central government and the Junts, which have prevented its approval.
Do you think it will eventually come?
I would love to answer, but I don't have an answer, given the unpredictability of this legislature and the parliamentary weakness of the central government.
There are lawyers who say that the law has expired, that it should not be in the Justice Committee, but that processing should begin. What will he do if he arrives in these conditions?
In anticipation of his arrival I asked for two reports from the lawyers, one to clarify the procedures of processing the law or not, and I am super respectful of the reports of the lawyers. The second, on the merits, which will take into account previous reports, such as that of the lawyers of the Justice Committee of the Congress, particularly critical. There will be a third report, because the general commission of Autonomous Communities has the power to issue a report, since there are issues that affect the autonomous communities. We'll do what the reports say.
Apart from what you believe?
After the rejection of the Congress by an absolute majority, the common sense and the interpretation made by renowned lawyers, I think that the most appropriate thing would be to put an end to the debate in the Congress and, if they want to continue it, it would be necessary to restart, from scratch, a new processing The Popular group has expressed its disagreement with the referral to the commission, and I imagine that they will take the decisions they think are appropriate.
It seems that if it were up to you, I wouldn't process it.
No, by no means. Personally I am against the law, but no irregularity will be committed in the Senate, regardless of whether it coincides or does not coincide with the preferences of its president or those of the parliamentary group to which I belong.
The PSOE says they have asked for the report because Vox is putting pressure on it.
This is not just any law. It is an amendment to the entire validity of the Spanish Constitution, which can be perfected, because it is not untouchable, but there are procedures to do so. Therefore, no report is requested to provide coverage, but to provide certainty, and I will not be the one to amend the plan in the lawyers' report.
The PSOE says that it has put the institution at the service of the PP.
I understand that the spokesperson of the Socialist group finds it uncomfortable that the PP has 144 senators out of 266, but the Popular group, the majority, made a proposal and the Bureau processed it.
They say that they reformed the regulations only to delay the processing of the Amnesty law.
Legislating is something very serious, it requires analysis. We already saw the consequences of the law of only yes is yes. It's not about wasting time, it's about making the most of it. And we are talking about going from 20 days to two months, not 20 years, so that illustrious constitutionalists can appear to give their opinion. All senators, whatever their political affiliation, deserve some time for reflection.
Despite this work, in the end the text will be that of Congress.
With regard to legislative processing, Congress has the last word, but the Senate must not give up an enriching debate and send Congress a new text, and that the Autonomous Communities, which will be affected, can pronounce
Won't this further delay the law?
In no case can the two-month period be exceeded, unless a parliamentary group presents an appeal to the Constitutional Court and requests, as a precautionary measure, the suspension of the processing, but this is no longer a decision of the Senate
He states that he will act in accordance with the lawyers' report, but the senior lawyer has changed. The PSOE has done the same in Congress and the PP accuses it of looking for a lawyer more similar to its positions.
I want to show my gratitude to the previous senior lawyer, who carried out his duties in an absolute exemplary manner. He had expressed to me his desire to have other responsibilities, so I appointed a woman who has assumed this high responsibility.
Do you think that the protests for the judgment of the process, in 2019, can be considered terrorism?
That will have to be determined by the judges. I dare not say whether it was terrorism or not. They were unfortunate events, because some people who were demonstrating legitimately, went further. Demonstrating is healthy, but when some are dedicated to burning containers, besieging institutions, surrounding, beating and roasting policemen, this is a crime in the Penal Code, the judges will say which crime.
The PP has decided to go from having two plenums a month in the Senate, to three. Need?
It is an opportunity for society to have a better perception of the Senate. It will be a plenum to debate, propose and control the central government. It is healthy for the opposition to control him, to know what his decisions are, to be able to recognize his successes and criticize his mistakes.
The PP complains about the absence of the central government in the control sessions.
When the regulations were changed, the obligation of the Spanish Government to appear was included. I can understand that there is an agenda and a series of milestones, such as summits or international appointments, that condition parliamentary control, but to abuse the excuse of the agenda to not appear is not good practice .
In addition to being president of the Senate, he belongs to the leadership of the PP. What are they playing in Galicia?
It is much more important that the Galicians play in it. Feijóo won four absolute majorities, and thanks to the PP governments, it has progressed, generating opportunities; it owns its present and its future, with the guarantee that no other territory will tell them what to do.
It is not lost on anyone that they will have a reading in Spanish. What does Feijóo play?
In the same way that all the success in the municipal and regional elections cannot be attributed to Mr. Feijóo, it would be unfair to attribute the totality of any other result to him. There are many people, outside the PP, who would be delighted if the Galicians did not renew their trust in Mr. Rueda, and make Feijóo guilty. Well it won't happen.
