The Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, has asked the Popular Party (PP) to stop "harassing" and "intimidating" consuls and Foreign Service personnel, and has assured that the party led by Alberto Núñez Feijóo is making a "ridiculous" spectacle with its threat to take them to court for complying with the order of the Supreme Court in relation to the so-called grandchildren's law.
Albares has accused the leader of the PP of lying by stating that the consulates were not complying with the Supreme Court's requirement to verify who obtained nationality under the additional provision of the Democratic Memory Law and are descendants of exiles, with the aim that they can vote in the November 29 elections.
“I find it regrettable, and I believe that Spaniards must severely punish it at the polls, that the Popular Party has the nerve and the gall to try to intimidate and harass with public statements and that Mr. Feijóo has lied about what civil servants are doing,” the minister stated.
“Are they so desperate to cover up what they are going to do with pensions, with public education, public healthcare, and the scholarship budget, that they have to try to harass state officials who have spent their entire lives serving Spaniards?” Albares asked.
The head of Foreign Affairs assured that, since the Supreme Court ruling was known, the resolution was sent to the consulates, which made it public and have been working "with all diligence" to comply with it "against the clock," although he admitted that "time is short" and avoided expressly stating whether they will arrive on time.
“The entire Spanish Foreign Service, the consuls, the consulates, the Directorate General of Consular Affairs, are scrupulously complying with the Supreme Court's order,” Albares guaranteed, while regretting the “paradox” that there are Spaniards naturalized by that law who were able to vote in the 2023 elections and will not be able to do so in this call.
Accusations against the PP for trying to "cover up" its proposals
José Manuel Albares has said he is “very aware of the Popular Party's game” and has maintained that Feijóo's party's objective is to prevent discussion of pension cuts, scholarship budgets, public education and healthcare, and the interprofessional minimum wage.
“He dedicates himself to bringing up any topic and doesn't care about harassing public officials, consuls, and Foreign Service personnel, in order to cover all that up and prevent it from being talked about,” added the minister, who also responded to the PP's threat to take legal action if Foreign Affairs “obstructs” the removal from the census of those naturalized by the ‘grandchildren's law’ who are not descendants of exiles.
Regarding that point, Albares considered that the PP “is making a fool of itself with these absurd things” and asked them to “stop making a fool of yourselves” and to explain what their policy is regarding housing, education, or public health.