The Popular Party criticized the Government this Wednesday for what it called a “threat of wanting to control” the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ) by raising the possibility of renewing its members without the opposition, and warned it that, if it changes the parliamentary majorities necessary to appoint the new magistrates – as proposed by the second vice president, Yolanda Díaz -, will have the Commission and the European institutions “in front”.
This was stated by the general secretary of the PP, Cuca Gamarra, before the media in Logroño, where she assured that the negotiations to renew the CGPJ remain paralyzed at the same point, since the two parties maintain their initial position.
Alberto Núñez Feijóo’s number two affirmed that, despite the fact that an agreement has not been reached in April as Brussels intended, her party will continue within the “framework of dialogue and negotiation” supervised by the European Commission and its institutions, “which are the maximum umbrella and the maximum protection and guarantee of the Rule of Law” in Spain.
“And we are going to be there and continue, defending the need for renewal, but with guarantees of independence,” added Gamarra, who then issued a warning to PSOE and also to Sumar, who has asked the socialists to lower the majorities to unblock the renewal of the CGPJ after five years with the mandate expired.
“If anyone at this time, with that threat of wanting to control the Judiciary, goes along that line, they will have us in front of them.” “And not only the Popular Party, it will have Spanish society in front of it, let there be no doubt, but also the European institutions that ensure the rule of law in Europe and that, without a doubt, will mobilize to defend that in In our country, there is no attempt by the Government or by the forces that control or protect the Government to control the Judiciary,” Gamarra added.
Thus, he said that the PP will continue at the negotiating table with the PSOE to try to renew the CGPJ with the current election system, but with names that guarantee the “independence” of this body; and, in parallel, a reform of the Organic Law of the Judiciary (LOPJ) is agreed so that judges can elect their peers starting from the following renewals.
The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, yesterday reopened the door to exploring mechanisms to renew the Council without the PP, once the mediation of the European Commission, demanded by Feijóo at the end of last year, is practically considered dead. The Community Executive, which will take office in just over a month due to the European elections, gave itself until April to reach an agreement that has not been possible. “If the PP continues with the kidnapping of the CGPJ, Parliament will need to articulate mechanisms to be able to get out of this very regrettable situation in which the PP has put the government of the judges,” admitted yesterday the head of the Executive, who avoided specifying said mechanisms. . “I hope I have a parliamentary majority for it,” he insisted.
In any case, the reduction of the majorities to renew the CGPJ was already rejected by the Government three years ago due to the misgivings it raised in the European institutions to the extent that an initiative like this, in the opinion of the European Commission, went against of judicial independence from political power.
