Feijóo warns that he will not "validate" political profiles in the CGPJ and asks for reinforced majorities to depoliticize appointments

He promises not to appoint positions of the PP in the CGPJ because it means "taking down something as elementary as judicial independence"

VALENCIA, 14 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The leader of the PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, has warned this Friday that his formation will not "validate" political profiles in the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ) and has defended reinforced majorities of three-fifths to "depoliticize" the appointments and decisions that he makes this body, "going deeper" into a "greater objectivity". In addition, he has stressed that it is necessary to "deepen the suitability requirements" in the appointments.

"With these approaches, we are now going to look for people who meet these requirements," said Feijóo at the 'Meeting on the challenges of the Future' organized by the newspaper Las Provincias, in which he was accompanied by the president of the PP of the Valencian Community Carlos Mazon.

After assuring that they can "reach an agreement" in the renewal of the Council, Feijóo has indicated that the PP agrees to maintain the "status quo" of the current system but with the commitment to "modify the election in the near future to comply with European regulations" .

Feijóo, who on this occasion has not alluded to his demand that this commitment be in writing, has stressed that the PP presented and sent Moncloa a proposal on the reform of the Judiciary almost four months ago. "July, August, September have passed and they call us in October," he complained.

The leader of the PP has explained that his formation transferred "three considerations": renewing the Constitutional Court and the CGPJ "simultaneously"; follow the "demands" of the European Commissioner for Justice, Didier Reynders, taking advantage of the renewal to "deepen the suitability requirements" in appointments.

"It doesn't make any sense and we don't give a message of judicial independence if the government appoints a minister who resigns in the morning and appoints him as attorney general in the afternoon," he stressed, adding that it doesn't make sense either that a minister who is "magistrate " can be dismissed and "tomorrow return to his court" in the National Court or the Supreme Court. As he has insisted, it is about "regulating the revolving doors" for a "greater independence" of judges and magistrates.

In addition, Feijóo has stressed that it is necessary to "increase the quorum to appoint judges and magistrates from the Council" so that "there are no doubts that this is not a progressive and conservative majority." According to him, he added, the objective is that a "reinforced majority" of three-fifths "make the appointments for the future."

The leader of the PP has insisted that they must "commit to changing the legislation" in accordance with European regulations "so that the next Council chooses judges and magistrates with greater prominence among the 12 that correspond to judges and magistrates." "And we are in it," he said.

Feijóo has pointed out that the PP wants to be "consistent" with the European rule of law and "go deeper into the suitability requirements" that "force any party to make proposals to the Council".

In the same way, he has reiterated that it is necessary to try "not to remove the appointments from the Supreme Court or the Superior Courts of Justice because there is a conservative or progressive majority" but rather reaching 13 votes for each appointment and "thus depoliticizing as much as possible" those appointments and "in the future to delve into greater objectivity".

"Can we reach an agreement? Yes. If the Government wants to reach an agreement, let's reach an agreement. If what the Government wants is, I have these 10, they don't have to meet any requirements, I have this man, who is Minister of Justice in this CCAA of the PSOE, I am going to appoint him a member of the CGPJ; or I have another man who is Secretary of State, I am going to dismiss him and appoint him to the CGPJ. We cannot validate that," he warned.

That said, the leader of the opposition has stressed that he wants people to know that the PP believes in "judicial independence" and that "he does not want to appoint positions of the Popular Party in the General Council of the Judiciary."

"I'm not going to do it. If I have the chance, I'm never going to appoint a state attorney general minister, nor am I going to appoint him a member of the CGPJ, nor am I going to send him to a Supreme Court room, because if I'm not carrying something so elementary such as judicial independence, which is the guarantee of the rule of law", he concluded.