The two government partners are bound to vote separately tomorrow in Congress to take into consideration the socialite proposal to reform the law of only yes is yes to end the list of reviews of convictions of sexual offenders since the entry into force of the norm if there is not some last minute miracle. 24 hours after this unprecedented split between PSOE and Unidas Podemos regarding the Executive’s legislative action takes place, the two parties launch crossed calls to reconsider.
The spokesperson for the PSOE and Minister of Education, Pilar Alegría, did it after the meeting of the socialist executive at the Ferraz headquarters and the spokesperson for Podemos, Alejandra Jacinto, did it at a press conference at the headquarters of the purples.
Alegría has defended that the law promoted by the Ministry of Equality, directed by Irene Montero, “is a very good law that gave and gives comprehensive protection to the victims, but society has been able to verify that when it has been applied, it has given rise to problems unwanted”. “I would ask Podemos to reconsider their position,” pleaded Alegría, who made it clear that the PSOE wants to “improve this law to avoid future reductions in sentences and continue to protect victims.”
The Minister of Justice, the socialist Pilar Llop, has also intervened in the controversy and has assured that the PSOE and its partners cannot be “divided” on an issue “so important” that what they want is to “correct a situation” that has led to at least 721 reductions in sentences for those convicted of sexual crimes.
The PSOE will be able to get the necessary support with PP and Vox and that makes the junior partners of the Executive very uncomfortable who consider that the modification of the norm proposed by the Socialists displaces the consent of women from the center of the debate. In this sense, Podemos has made “one last call” to the PSOE to “reconsider” and avoid a “shameful” vote tomorrow in Congress together with the PP and Vox. “Going back, we think it’s a betrayal,” Jacinto snapped at a press conference, and called it “inconceivable” that the socialist votes join those of Mr. Abascal and Mrs. Ayuso.”
In a press conference at the Podemos headquarters, the purple spokeswoman hoped that she would not have to see “that photo of shame” tomorrow with her socialist partners celebrating carrying out the reform with those who have “systematically” opposed any advance of women’s rights, although it is unlikely that the PSOE will back down because they already assume that they will win this vote with the support of PP, Vox, Cs, PNV and PDeCat.
The situation also makes the usual partners of the coalition uncomfortable, since it forces them to position themselves with respect to the two partners. The general secretary of EH Bildu, Arnaldo Otegi, made this Monday at the ‘Europe Forum. Tribuna Euskadi’ an appeal to the coalition government to recover the “space of common sense”.
