Crisis in Spain after the blocking of a judicial reform by the constitutional court

2022-12-20T20:07:46.284Z

For the first time since the return of democracy in 1977 in Spain, a parliamentary vote has been blocked by a court, in this case the Constitutional Court. The latter is directly…

Crisis in Spain after the blocking of a judicial reform by the constitutional court

The head of the Spanish government Pedro Sanchez, December 9, 2022. REUTERS - VIOLETA SANTOS MOURA

Text by: RFI Follow

2 mins

For the first time since the return of democracy in 1977 in Spain, a parliamentary vote has been blocked by a court, in this case the Constitutional Court.

The latter is directly affected by the reform carried out by the government of Pedro Sanchez.

Publicity

With our correspondent in Madrid,

François Musseau

Spain is stuck, since Tuesday, December 20, in a very serious institutional crisis.

Legislation that was going to be put to the vote was blocked by the constitutional court, targeted by the reform.

“

This is an institutional blockage of unprecedented gravity.
And I will take all the measures at my disposal to put an end to the right-wing will to endanger democracy.

This is essentially what the head of the socialist government Pedro Sanchez delivered in a short but very firm speech in reaction to this decision.

In moments of incertidumbre serenity and firmness became clearer.

Serenidad en el stricto cumplimiento de la Ley y firmza para hacer prevalecer el respect a la Constitución y a la voluntad popular expresada freely en las elecciones.

Democracia requires respect to the Ley.

pic.twitter.com/K8xqK7nvwT

— Pedro Sanchez (@sanchezcastejon) December 20, 2022

Thanks to this law, the head of state hoped to be able to unblock the constitutional court with a conservative majority.

This reform of the Penal Code, already voted on Thursday, December 15 by the deputies of the majority on the left, contains an additional provision, intended to allow the renewal of four of the twelve magistrates of the constitutional court whose mandate expired at the end of June.

More precisely, it would have allowed renewal by simple majority and no longer by three-fifths, a system which currently gives the right blocking power.

Break the "
lock imposed by the right
"

Sanchez's government accuses

the right of the Popular Party

(PP) and the conservative majority of the court of preventing the establishment of a left majority at the head of this independent body, responsible for guaranteeing the proper application of the Constitution.

This is unheard of since the return of democracy.

This situation establishes in practice the superiority of the judicial power over the executive and legislative powers.

This explains the joy of the conservatives, majority in the courts, and the rage of the socialists, who intend to break what they call the "

lock imposed by the right

" in the judicial system.

Pedro Sanchez has spoken of resorting to exceptional measures to achieve this, but no one knows which ones yet.

Crisis in Spain after the blocking of a judicial reform by the constitutional court

Crisis in Spain after the blocking of a judicial reform by the constitutional court

Break the "
lock imposed by the right
"

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Crisis in Spain after the blocking of a judicial reform by the constitutional court

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Break the " lock imposed by the right "

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Break the "
lock imposed by the right
"