The Spanish Parliament has approved a partial reform of its regulations, allowing for an expanded delegation of votes by lawmakers and enabling remote voting. This change will specifically benefit elected officials residing abroad, such as former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont and former councilor Lluís Puig.
The reform received support from various groups, including PSC-Units, Junts, ERC, Comuns, and CUP, while PP and Vox opposed it. Aliança Catalana (AC) chose to abstain. The Consell de Garanties Estatutàries (CGE) endorsed the proposal, though it flagged one phrase concerning vote delegation as potentially conflicting with the Constitution.
During the amendment vote, Junts stood alone in its effort to remove Article 25.4 from the Parliament’s regulations. This article mandates the immediate suspension of lawmakers facing preliminary hearings for corruption-related offenses, a provision that had previously been used against Laura Borràs, the former president of the Parliament.
The approved text also enables the CUP to establish itself as a parliamentary group by allowing one of its members to be temporarily ceded from another party. This helps them avoid having to share a mixed group with AC during this legislative term.
The reform involves modifying four articles of the regulations, adding one new article, and introducing two transitional provisions. These changes will expand the circumstances under which votes can be delegated, regulate remote voting, and allow for more flexibility when deputies change their party affiliations, as well as alter the majority needed for institutional declarations.
Currently, the conditions for vote delegation include maternity, paternity, hospitalization, serious illness, and prolonged disability. The new reform introduces “exceptional situations duly justified at the discretion of the Table,” allowing for additional circumstances under which delegation can occur.
Moreover, under these exceptional conditions, lawmakers will have the opportunity to request remote voting. This option could also be available to deputies who have institutional representation commitments for the Parliament or the Generalitat abroad that prevent them from attending a vote.
In a newly added transitional provision, it specifies that deputies defined under the Organic Law 1/2024 on amnesty can delegate their votes if there is any ongoing procedure regarding the application of that law.
In terms of party affiliation, the reform allows deputies to change their party allegiance during the first five days of each session, even if the groups are already formed, with prior approval from the spokesperson of the group they want to join. A transitional period of ten days will be permitted for further changes in party affiliation or the formation of new groups following the approval of this reform.
Finally, the proposal modifies the required majorities for approving institutional declarations in the Parliament. Instead of the previous requirement for unanimity, only a favorable vote from the Chamber’s president and a qualified majority of two-thirds from the Board of Spokespersons will now be sufficient.
During the debate, PSC-Units deputy Ferran Pedret argued that the changes are fully constitutional and reflect the majority social support for a better situation in Catalonia. Junts deputy Jeannine Abella criticized the current inability of elected officials to participate in parliamentary decisions, supporting the amendment to remove the problematic article. ERC’s Marta Vilalta acknowledged that the proposed changes mirror practices seen in other parliaments and appreciated the strong support for the reform, while still opposing the removal of Article 25.4.
Comuns representative Susanna Segovia commended the overall reform, emphasizing the ability to make institutional declarations without the influence of far-right opposition. CUP deputy Laure Vega celebrated the changes, asserting that unjust norms should be reformed.
In response to the reform, PP deputy Juan Fernández announced plans to challenge the revised regulations in the Constitutional Court, labeling the changes as partisan and crafted to serve the interests of independentists. Vox’s Joan Garriga echoed similar sentiments, criticizing the reform as sectarian.
Sílvia Orriols from AC defended the modifications concerning remote voting, specifically for Puigdemont and Puig, while opposing the changes that facilitate economic-based party switching.
Image and News Source: https://www.infobae.com/espana/agencias/2024/07/25/el-parlament-aprueba-reformar-el-reglamento-que-permita-el-voto-telematico-de-puigdemont-y-puig/
