The Parliament will decide on September 1 whether to appeal to the Constitutional Court against the state law on the Right to Housing, one of the flagship rules of the Pedro Sánchez Executive, to invade the competences of the Generalitat.
It is a law that went ahead with the support of some of the regular partners of the central coalition government of the PSOE and Unides Podemos in Congress, including Esquerra Republicana and EH Bildu.
So, the republican group of the Catalan Chamber – also the commons – will now have to pronounce on the state regulations after Junts has requested it. In the formation of Oriol Junqueras, they have not given any clues about what they will do. They are expected to reveal their position today, according to sources consulted.
The PSC has already made it clear that it will vote against resorting to it, while the commons will not define their vote until the days before the plenum. The PP, Vox and Ciutadans have not decided either.
The post-convergents did not support the regulations in the Lower House – neither did the PNB – and requested a report from the Council of Statutory Guarantees, the Catalan consultative body, on the constitutionality of the rule that was approved in April and it has been exhibited by the PSOE and UP as a milestone in this electoral cycle.
The aforementioned report considers that the competences of the Catalan Administration are violated. For this reason, JxCat is advocating for Parliament to challenge articles 2, 15, 16, 17, 18, 27, 28, 29 and the first and second transitional provisions as well as the seventh final provision of the law. These are points that affect the limitation of prices and the declaration of tense zones, among other aspects.
For the same reason, due to the jurisdictional invasion, the Government of Iñigo Urkullu decided a few days ago to file an appeal before the Constitutional Court, with the vote against the Socialists, who are part of the coalition of the Basque Executive. The Jeltzales challenged seven articles and four provisions of the regulations.
However, the first regional government to appeal against the housing law was that of the Community of Madrid, led by the PP with Isabel Díaz Ayuso.
The Catalan Chamber approved its own housing law that allowed rent prices to be limited in the previous legislature, but the PP and the central government appealed to it – without asking for its automatic suspension – a few months later. The High Court suspended some articles that allowed price increases to be limited and now applies the state rule.
In order for the Parliament to file an appeal, there must be a majority of votes in full favor, for this reason the ERC’s position will be decisive, like that of the commons, both arithmetically and symbolically because, predictably, the vote will coincide with the negotiations for the investiture of Pedro Sánchez.
The republicans have demanded in Junts these last days that they negotiate jointly in Madrid, although those of Jordi Turull, who leave the command of the ship in the hands of Carles Puigdemont in terms of the investiture, have set as a precondition that do not support any president of the central government who does not allow a binding referendum.
Both Junts and ERC have been urged to speak discreetly this August to build a common front, but the mistrust between the two actors remains present and JxCat, in Parliament, does not relax the level of demand with its former partner .
Last week the group commanded by Albert Batet requested that the Councilor of the Presidency, Laura Vilagrà, appear for having maintained the pilot test of the universal basic income despite the fact that the Catalan Chamber has taken a position against it. The post-convergents, in addition, accused the Government of Pere Aragonès of ignoring the provisions of the full Parliament and of “turning their backs on it”.
