The Senate Interior President lashes out at Marlaska for his new no-show, for which he blames Sánchez: "Undemocratic"

The Minister of Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, has once again stood up the Popular Party in the Senate committee convened by the party of Alberto Núñez Feijóo, to give explanations about his ministry's management of the Ceuta crisis after the massive entry of people between July 30 and 31. The 'populares' still have not received the attendance of any of the Executive's ministers they have summoned.

In this context, the president of the Interior Committee, Fernando Martínez-Maíllo, has described the Government's attitude as "undemocratic" and has pointed to President Pedro Sánchez as being responsible for "promoting" the ministers' refusal.

It is not the first time that the head of the Interior has not attended the meeting of the 'popular' senators. Maíllo stated last Wednesday: "A minister cannot choose à la carte which chamber to attend." Therefore, he assured: "This president will adopt the political and legal measures that are necessary." Along the same lines, Maíllo called the lack of attendance "unjustifiable" and described it as "an act of flight and disobedience." 

Marlaska's no-show comes after Feijóo announced this Wednesday during his visit to the autonomous city to meet with the president of Ceuta, Juan Jesús Vivas, that he will take the ministers' absences to the Supreme Court.

The PP responds to the absences

The spokesperson for the PP in the Senate, Alicia García, has announced that they will register a vote to be held in September, to carry out the reprobation of the ministers who have not attended the appearances proposed by the party of Alberto Núñez Feijóo. "They have an obligation to appear," García stated. In this regard, the ministers who would be affected by the initiative are: Fernando Grande-Marlaska, José Manuel Albares, Margarita Robles, Mónica García, and Ana Redondo. 

The Popular Party will register in the Senate five requests for reprobation against government ministers, whom it holds responsible for the management of the Ceuta migratory crisis and for not having attended the Upper House when they were called to appear. The initiatives will be put to a vote during the first plenary session of September, presumably on Wednesday the 9th.

Reprobation is a form of political censure by which Congress or the Senate expresses its rejection of the actions of a member of the Government. It is approved by a resolution in Plenary and has no automatic legal effects: it does not oblige the minister to resign or the Prime Minister to dismiss him. To pass, a simple majority is sufficient, that is, more votes in favor than against. Although it does not imply the dismissal of the minister, a reprobation has political relevance because it evidences the lack of support from the majority of the Chamber and can serve as a pressure mechanism on the Executive.

The popular party has justified the measure against Marlaska for "leaving the Ceuta border without reinforcement despite warnings of what was going to happen"; that of Albares because they are unaware of his role in the crisis; Robles for showing her initial intention to go to the Senate in August and then rejecting it; Mónica García "for the collapse of the healthcare system that she herself manages and for not reinforcing it when necessary" and, Ana Redondo for not having visited the autonomous city. 

7 ministers will appear in Congress

The ministers of the Government of Spain who have collaborated in managing the massive entry of migrants into Ceuta from Morocco between July 30 and 31, already have their appearances scheduled at their own request in the Congress of Deputies.

In this regard, the Minister of Health, Mónica García, will intervene in the Lower House on Thursday, August 27. On the contrary, the Minister of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, Elma Saiz, and the Minister of Youth and Children, Sira Rego, will appear on August 31.

The other scheduled appointments were that of the Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, who will be the first to carry out her intervention in Congress on Tuesday 25; on the 27th, the Minister of the Presidency, Félix Bolaños, will also do so; and, on Friday, August 28, the Minister of Foreign Affairs José Manuel Albares and the Minister of Interior Fernando Grande-Marlaska.