Congress approves the PSOE amendment that gives the CGPJ until September to appoint its two candidates to the TC

MADRID, 14 Jul. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Plenary of Congress has approved this Thursday the partial amendment presented yesterday by the PSOE to its own express reform to unblock the renewal of the Constitutional Court (TC) that gives the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ) until September 13, although it continues with the expired mandate since 2018, so that it appoints its two candidates to the court of guarantees.

While waiting for the final vote on the bill that returns to the CGPJ its powers to appoint candidates to the TC, the Plenary of the Lower House has given its support to the socialist self-amendment, which has had the support of Podemos and its allies parliamentarians, while PP, Vox and Ciudadanos have voted against.

Specifically, the PSOE seeks to modify article 599.1.1ª of the Organic Law of the Judiciary so that "the proposal for the appointment, by a three-fifths majority, of the two Magistrates of the Constitutional Court whose designation corresponds" to the CGPJ has to be carried out within of the "maximum period of three months from the day following the expiration of the previous mandate".

On June 12, the mandate of the president of the TC, Pedro González-Trevijano, of the vice president Juan Antonio Xiol and of the magistrates Antonio Narváez and Santiago Martínez-Vares expired, so the maximum term set by the socialist amendment would expire on June 13. September.

Francisco Aranda, from the PSOE, has defended that the express reform of the law is not a threat to the Judiciary, summoning the PP to have the "will" to comply with the Constitution to renew "now" the governing body of the judges, because "the rest are excuses, delays, tricks to not fulfill their obligations".

From the PP, his deputy Luis Javier Santamaría has criticized the Socialists for the "arrogance" of their partial amendment and has pointed out that the PSOE "must be in a great hurry" to "pay off the debts contracted" with magistrates such as "Cándido Conde-Pumpido, José Ricardo de Prada or others" in what is a "new swallow to parasitize other institutions, in this case the Constitutional". "It's really serious, but it doesn't surprise us anymore," he said.

For their part, Edmundo Bal (Cs) and Javier Ortega Smith (Vox) have branded, respectively, the reform of the Socialists as "cacicada" and "interference", to accuse the Government of wanting to control the TC.