Irene Montero explained that the sentence imposed on former Attorney General Álvaro García Ortiz was part of a dynamic in which parts of the right were advocating legalization procedures to halt social progress and block progressive governments in Spain. Montero linked this phrase to what he called a “judicial coup,” blaming both the Socialist Workers’ Party of Spain (PSOE) itself for its “powerless” attitude to these events and judicial figures such as Judge Marchena, whom he attributed to collaborating with conservative interests to the detriment of the political left. These reflections were expressed during a television interpretation reported by Europa Press, in which the Podemos leader explained the mechanisms that, in her vision, would explain a strategy of institutional confrontation aimed at limiting the possibilities of progressive forces in power.
As published by Europa Press, Montero stressed that the influence of the conservative sectors in the judiciary was manifested in the loss of a Podemos seat in Congress, an outcome that, according to him, would not have been possible without the cooperation of some members of the PSOE and the actions of Judge Marchena. In addition, he described the ruling that led to García Ortiz being disqualified for two years as another episode in a series of measures that he said were part of a strategy to prevent the consolidation of coalition governments made up of progressive parties, including the formation of Podemos itself.
The MEP linked this phenomenon to a decade of activities aimed at legalizing politics, a phenomenon which, as she told Europa Press, was reflected in the falsification of lawsuits against left-wing leaders in order to prevent Podemos from entering the state government and to block the training of leaders with a relevant presence of progressive forces. Montero described the existence of lawsuits, which he described as “false,” and explained that the repetition of these lawsuit campaigns created the conditions that led to the recent verdict against García Ortiz. In his opinion, the current situation corresponds to a trend that “has been observed for some time.”
In his overview of emblematic cases, Montero alluded to the Victoria Rosell episode, explaining that the former government delegate on gender violence was the target of a complaint from former People’s Minister José Manuel Soria. Montero claimed that this operation involved the involvement of a “corrupt judge” and the falsification of “false evidence” with the aim of damaging Rosell’s political career. As compiled by Europa Press, Montero identified this case as an example of the use of legal and media tools to delegitimize representatives of the left and influence the development of democratic norms.
The newspaper Europa Press also reported that Montero linked the repetition of these maneuvers to the political context in which the right is perceived as being in institutional decline. The leader of Podemos used the expression “they put on the suit of fascism” to characterize the reaction of the conservative sectors when they sense the approach of a change of power, interpreting this behavior as a way to intensify confrontations and limit the consolidation of alternative political projects to their own.
In her analysis, the Podemos representative attributed a lack of adequate response to what she described as a “judicial and media coup” by the PSOE leadership. In his assessment, the PSOE has not drawn effective conclusions regarding these practices or the possibility of a similar institutional escalation in the future. He extended this criticism to the way in which the Socialist Party had dealt with social issues, citing as examples housing policy and the situation of the health system, measures which he considered inadequate in the face of citizens’ demands.
According to Europa Press, Montero claimed that defending the democratic system requires a more active engagement from the left. He called on progressive forces, and in particular Podemos, to take a leading role in protecting social rights and consolidating the gains made during periods of broad social mobilization, citing historic advances such as the recognition of the right to abortion and the introduction of the eight-hour working day. Montero maintained that the organization and strength of citizens were essential elements in countering what he saw as the capture of Spain by private interests that wanted to remain in power outside the popular mandate.
In his comments published by Europa Press, Montero concluded that if the PSOE lacks the political will, tools or capacity to respond to these challenges, it is necessary to give greater importance to a left ready to decisively confront what he called “coup rights” and to actively participate in protecting the democratic framework.
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