The Madrid Assembly has opened an investigation into the Vox parliamentary group for “a possible irregular vote” since in the last plenary session held last Thursday a vote was cast from the empty seat of former Vox deputy José Luis Ruiz Bartolomé, who had resigned from his position on January 25. An irregularity that took place during the voting on the amendment to the entirety registered by Más Madrid to the Circular Economy Law in such a way that the parliamentary group of the ultra party obtained more votes than the number of its deputies present at that time.
Controversial aside, the vote made did not influence the direction of the vote since the absolute majority it enjoys allows the PP to carry out its parliamentary initiatives without the need for support.
The Presidency of the Chamber, occupied by Enrique Ossorio (PP), has transferred to Vox the ex officio opening of the investigation, opening a period of allegations to explain what happened since Ruiz Bartolomé’s ghost vote was only recorded in the aforementioned vote. . Not so in the rest. Based on the explanations, Ossorio has announced the adoption of “appropriate measures in accordance with the regulations.”
Asked about the alleged irregularity, Vox sources have denied any intention in the vote cast and have limited what happened to “an error.” Despite remaining silent until the controversy became known, his spokesperson, Rocío Monasterio, explained that there was a “confusion” because his colleague Iñigo Henríquez de Luna did not know which seat he should sit in, so, according to his version, they cast the vote at try turning off the screen. “These are technological things that happen from time to time. We voted from where we believed we could vote,” Monasterio declared this Monday.
The statement from the Presidency of the regional Chamber speaks of consequences in general. But it does not detail them since this assumption “is not classified” in the regulations, so it will have to be the bodies of the Chamber that study the case.
Now it will be the Assembly Table – in which the PP has an absolute majority – that will agree to the opening of the file that will be transferred to the Commission of the Statute of Autonomy, Regulations and Statute of the Deputy.
Through the appointment of an instructor, together with the advice of a Chamber lawyer, the study process would begin which, in the case of revealing non-compliance with the Regulations, could lead to the suspension of “between 15 and 30 of the rights of the deputies.” involved,” point out parliamentary sources.
José Luis Ruiz Bartolomé, who was deputy spokesperson for Vox, announced his resignation from the Madrid Parliament on January 25, but in the last plenary session his successor did not take minutes, who, according to Monasterio, would be Javier Pérez, who was already a deputy in the Assembly in the last legislature.
