The absence of First Vice President María Jesús Montero in the next session of Congress made it impossible for her to be the one to answer for the alleged corruption cases attributed to the government. Therefore, the Popular Party directed its request for explanations in the executive control session to the second vice president, Yolanda Díaz. As Europa Press reports, the Popular Party had previously presented various initiatives in the Lower House, in particular three questions and an interpellation to Félix Bolaños, Minister of Presidency, Justice and Relations with the Cortes.
According to Europa Press, Bolaños informed Congress that he was not available to participate in the interpellation debate, although he would participate in the question time of the same control session this Wednesday. This decision forced the People’s Party to look for an alternative to continue the public debate on the allegations of alleged corruption in the executive branch. Without Bolaños or Montero, responsibility for the response fell to Yolanda Díaz, the current second vice president and minister of labor and social economy.
Europa Press explained in detail that after learning that it was impossible to hold the debate with the officials originally scheduled, the popular group ruled out two options: postpone the questioning until February, when plenary sessions resume after the parliamentary recess in January, or continue the session this Wednesday and refer the matter to another member of the Cabinet. According to the media, this second option was ultimately chosen. Therefore, they changed the content of the original question to Bolaños, removing direct references to the “corruption of the PSOE” and refocusing the questions on the economic, political and institutional corruption that the opposition party says affects the government.
According to Europa Press, the new survey will also ask Díaz to explain the deterioration of the quality of democracy in Spain. This parliamentary scrutiny process is part of the final session of the year, as January is considered a non-working month for normal activity in the House of Commons, making the month of February the date of the next relevant session.
According to the media, the decision is part of a strategy by the People’s Party to keep the focus on the need for the government to be accountable to Congress, despite the officially planned absence of key officials. This is evidenced by the fact that one of the most representative figures of the executive branch – Yolanda Díaz – is taking the lead on an issue that has gained prominence on the political agenda, especially after the complaints raised by the opposition about alleged corruption.
The debate, which will take place in the control session, marks the beginning of a broader process that will culminate with the vote on a motion in the plenary session of Congress. This vote is planned for after the January break, coinciding with the resumption of regular plenary sessions. Europa Press stressed that the People’s Party wants to increase the institutional pressure to obtain formal answers in order to ensure that concern for the cases under investigation and the state of democratic quality continues to be expressed on the parliamentary agenda, beyond the organizational or political difficulties arising from the absence of the ministers mentioned above.
In this context, Yolanda Díaz, as second vice president, occupies third place in the hierarchy of the coalition government. Now, as speaker, he must respond to the demands of the main opposition party within the framework of full parliamentary activity and publicly explain the government’s actions in relation to the dossiers mentioned by the People’s Party. In this way, the executive branch in Congress will deal directly with the questions about alleged corruption and the democratic state, as Europa Press reported and explained the content and course of the interpellation presented by the ethnic group.
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