This Wednesday, as a result, the figures in this report had to be modified. José Manuel Albares accumulated three appearances at once and left the first place among the members of the government elusive to responsibility in Congress.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs combined in his agenda two uncomfortable requests from Bildu, the ERC and the Joint Group, with another, easier one, from his own request. AND went from six to three violationsaccording to official Congressional data.
The partners requested explanations on the “retrocession” of Western Sahara to Morocco and for the construction, with cooperation funds from your Ministry, of “Outsourced migrant detention centers in Mauritania”.
“With or without Parliament”
He summoned himself to report his “defense of peaceinternational law and multilateralism.
The Government systematically fails to fulfill its parliamentary oversight obligations. Ministers participated in only 39 of the 63 calls approved by Congress, leaving 24 of them unanswered. The figure shows total non-compliance of 40% of appearances that Parliament demanded.
Seven ministers were absent this Wednesday from the last control session of the year, which should have allowed them to be questioned on the accumulated scandals, indicated the Paco Salazar affair or the 10% increase in the fixed part of the electricity bill.
There has also been no response to the dismantling of the UCO, the Civil Guard unit that investigates its corruption cases, nor to the refusal of the executive to comply with the law on compensation for AVE passengers or the renunciation of the 70 billion Next Generation European funds.
Thus, they total more than 150 absences of ministers in the control sessions, so far this legislature.
This Thursday, he didn’t come either. Pedro Sanchez in Congress, after the arrest of Leire Díez and the former president of Sepi… and the government will remain out of reach of Congress until February. All this confirms the deliberate strategy announced by the president 15 months ago: his desire to govern “with or without the help of Parliament”.
Now, halfway through the legislature, the figures for failure to keep up appearances reveal that these are not specific cases, but rather a coordinated pattern minimize liability.
The podium
Fernando Grande-Marlaska, Minister of the Interior, now occupies first place with four unsupervised appearancesall at the request of the Popular Party.
The oldest dates back to January 2, 2024when the people demanded explanations on migration crisis which closed out 2023 as a record year for irregular arrivals. That of January 23 of that year asked him to explain the agreements with Bildu for release and prison allowances ETA prisoners.
He October 7, 2024the PP recorded another approved appearance for Marlaska to explain the reforms of the Citizen Security Act. The minister did not come. Finally, on July 21 of this year, the people requested his appearance to question him on “interference in the Civil Guard” and attempts to control the UCO.
Oscar PuenteMinister of Transport, shares second place on the podium with Albares and Felix Bolanoswith three missed appearances.
He August 6, 2024the PP requested his appearance for “the railway chaos of summer”, after incidents which caused massive delays and blocked convoys with abandoned families.
One day after the April 28 outagethe popular for their part, and ERC and the Mixed Group for their part, demanded that he appear to explain the measures of his department to “serve travelers” during the crisis.
The Minister of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with the Courts also has three absences, all at the request of the PP. The first, the January 23, 2024requested explanations on the agreement with Junts to reform article 43 of the Code of Civil Procedure and protect the applicability of the amnesty law.
The second, the January 13 this year, asked him to justify Government support for state attorney generalalready the subject of a Supreme Court investigation for revealing secrets, a crime for which he was found guilty.
The third was recorded on August 1st of this yearafter the devastating report by GRECO of the Council of Europe which attacked the government for lack of “tangible results” in anti-corruption measures.
Despite what happened on Wednesday, Albares also continues to accumulate three absences. One of them, at his request, to report on Spanish foreign policy “in the current context”, in February 2025.
The other two come from the PP. Explanations were needed on “the coup d’état perpetrated in Venezuela” by Nicolas Maduroregistered on January 17. The other, dating from two weeks earlier, requested information on agreements with Morocco for never completed reopening of the Melilla border customs.
Two failures
Maria Jesus MonteroFirst Vice President and Minister of Finance, left two appearances unattended. He May 19 This year he failed to justify his nominations in Sepi and Redeia. He August 22 avoided another in which he was required to report on the conditions of “misnamed debt relief” to the Autonomous Communities.
Sarah Aagesenthird vice-president and minister of ecological transition, also has two non-compliances. It was obligatory on June 19 give explanations “about the power outage”. He August 22 He stopped attending a second appearance to report on his department’s actions in “support for the CCAA” during fires summer.
Ana RedondoMinister for Equality, failed to comply with two appearances at your own request. One corresponded to the malfunctions of the anti-abuse bracelets. The other, to explain the constitutional reform project aimed at protecting “the right to abortion”. Both were registered last October.
Marguerite RoblesMinister of Defense, left two requests unanswered. He ignored a request from the PP November 9, 2024 to explain the actions of the EMU in the care of those affected by the damage.
He also did not respect another August 22 in which they asked him to account for the “support” of the army to the autonomous communities in the the fires.
Three other ministers
With only one missed appearance each, there are three ministers. Diane MorantMinister of Science and Innovation, never appeared at the request of the PP to explain the crisis and corruption at the National Cancer Research Center (CNIO), in January 2025.
Oscar Lopezof Digital Transformation, did not seem to explain the crisis of the MUFACE health insurance renewal agreement, demanded by the popular one week later.
AND Angel Victor Torresof Territorial Policy, avoided complying with the PP requirement of November 4 to explain “his relationship with Koldo Garcia and the government’s allegedly corrupt conspiracy.
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