Junts forces a new opportunity to continue negotiating changes to the amnesty law. Given the rejection of Pedro Sanchez to accept all their demands to modify the grace measure, the seven post-convergent deputies have prevented its approval in the plenary session of Congress, voting ‘no’ together with PP, Vox, UPN and Canarian Coalition. The surprising decision of those of Carles Puigdemont will force the text back to the justice commissionwhere negotiations will be opened again for a month – 15 days if the emergency processing is respected – to introduce changes to the law.

Related

  • Junts will not vote in favor of the amnesty law if the PSOE refuses to modify it

  • The PSOE maintains the pulse with Junts and considers the approval of the amnesty almost impossible today

  • ERC accuses Junts of “falling into the trap” of the “prevaricating judges” with their ‘no’ to the amnesty

  • Junts will not vote in favor of the amnesty law if the PSOE refuses to modify it

Although the socialists agreed to shield the cases of Tsumani Democràtic and CDR Lowering the exclusion of terrorism to only those acts in which there is a “direct intention” to violate human rights, the post-convergents demand to go further and eliminate any mention of terrorism. The Minister of the Presidency and Justice, Felix Bolañoshas ruled that the current text “is absolutely constitutionalit is impeccable, it is solid.” In this sense, socialist sources in the Government find it difficult to agree on more changes and leave the ball in Junts’ court.

New rudeness

Faced with the PSOE’s ‘no’ to the maximum proposals proposed by the independentists and with no possibility of negotiating amendments during the debate this Tuesday, Junts has opted for the most radical route, reject the text in the final vote. They have done it with an ace up their sleeve and that is that the norm will not decline, but will return to the justice commissionwhere the post-convergents will once again try to convince the socialists that the law includes everyone and is immediately applicable.

“A selective and deferred amnesty is not what we agreed and signed,” the Junts spokesperson reminded him, Miriam Nogueras, to the leaders of the PSOE. The post-convergent deputy has pointed out that in the pact sealed in November there was “the shared will not to leave anyone out” and that in the current text there are “holes” through which the Spanish judges could slip. In this sense, she has ruled that her formation will not participate in an amnesty that leaves the independentistas “exposed to the arbitrariness of the judicial leadership.” Specifically, she has denounced the judges Joaquin Aguirre and Manuel García-Castellón for “prevaricate.”

After the debate, Bolaños expressed his surprise at the “absolutely incomprehensible“Junts’ decision to vote alongside those who want to imprison them, in reference to PP and Vox. He has also criticized his words about the magistrates, to whom he has shown his support. Although he has not closed the door categorically to agree on more changes, the Minister of Justice has stressed that “the amnesty law entered this Chamber (Congress) impeccably and constitutionally and will leave it that way.”

What do they claim?

The Junts deputies do not share the minister’s vision. The seven parliamentarians have voted in favor of the ruling – otherwise the law would have fallen – but they have opposed its approval by Congress. Thus, the text will return to the Justice commission as it came out last week, with the first amendments that the PSOE agreed with ERC and other groups and that Junts accepted and also with the changes on terrorism closed last Tuesday. However, they can agree to as many new changes as they want.

Nogueras has asked that his proposals be approved that, among other things, they propose eliminating any mention of terrorism from the exclusions of the law; modify article 1 to try to cover conduct “attributed based on artificial and/or prospective police operations aimed at the criminalization of public positions and/or their environment, as long as they have not effectively led to an increase in assets of illicit origin”, which which could refer to the case of Laura Borrás; or extend the amnesty from January 1, 2012 to November 1, 2011.

The debate of the amnesty law in Congress, in images




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The leader of ERC, Oriol Junqueras, one of those who would benefit from the amnesty. “This amnesty law is a good law. It is not the law that ERC would have made, but it is a good law“, he said later before admitting that the current text would pass the filters of the Constitutional Court and the Court of Justice of the European Union. Without wanting to attack Junts, Junqueras did say that the norm “deserved the support of the majority of the Chamber”. The ERC deputy has been clearer Pilar Vallugera who, in a rather harsh tone, has reproached the post-convergents for losing this opportunity. He has also criticized that they have fallen into the “trap” of the judges.

Once the law passes through the Justice commission, the rule will return to the plenary session for debate. In this case the vote will be final. If it receives 176 yeses, it will be able to continue its processing in the Senate and if not, it will decline.

Criticism of the PP

Amnesty aside, the Junts plan once again exposed the instability with which Sánchez must govern. “This Government is on assisted respiration,” the leader of the PP has attacked the Executive, Alberto Núñez Feijóo. “The humiliation is constant, every day, every member, every vote is an ordeal. (…) How long will they endure this daily humiliation to its acronym, to its history?”, he questioned the socialist bench.