Swearing-In Controversy and Political Dynamics Mark the Start of the XV Legislature

Pedro Sánchez’s big smile came 15 minutes before the start of the session. The XV Legislature began and the President of the Government was seen happy in his parade through the courtyard of Congress.

Junts had just given her that gift that was so hard to ask for: Francina Armengol would have her votes to be president of the Lower House. The same thing was announced by ERC, although there was not so much surprise here.

The PSOE candidate was proposed as a gesture to the Catalan independentistas, the PSOE’s trump card for a new investiture. But that did not prevent the usual tag lines from reaching the chamber when it was time to swear the Constitution.

And they were very different. Vox deputies were sworn in “for Spain”, while pro-independence parliamentarians heard proclamations in Catalan and for “the mandate of October 1”. While the members of Junts spoke of “loyalty to the people of Catalonia”, those of ERC did so about the “Catalan republic”.

When the former promised “for the commitment and defense of all those repressed and exiled”, the latter made no mention of the politicians who fled after the referendum. They did agree on the famous “by legal imperative”, which has been heard on other occasions when complying with the Magna Carta.

On the left, the newly appointed third vice president of the Chamber, Esther Gil, promised the position “for a plurinational and feminist Spain”.

Enrique Santiago, former Secretary of State for the 2030 Agenda until he was relieved by Lilith Vestrynge, did it “for the Republic”.

And the Andalusian deputy of the IU Toni Valero joined with a plea “for the anti-Franco struggle, for freedoms, for Andalusia, for Spain, the peoples and humanity”, taking phrases from the Andalusian anthem.

Controversy over oaths

But it didn’t rain to everyone’s liking. PP and Vox asked to annul the oaths, alluding to the content and language in which many of them were expressed. Even when the president of the Chamber herself, Armengol, began her first speech by greeting in all the co-official languages. Also the farewell.

The former Balearic president did not accept their requests and endorsed the chosen formulas. In addition, he reminded them that the Constitutional Court rejected just a few months ago the appeal that the popular ones already presented in 2019 for this same reason..

The tag lines that pro-independence deputies use to swear in office are rarely exempt from controversy. When Oriol Junqueras promised in the last legislature “as a political prisoner”, “from the Republican commitment” and “by legal imperative”, Congress was revolutionized.

It was May 21, 2019, and the ERC leader had then been in pretrial detention for two years for the 1-O referendum. At that time, the trial of the procés was still developing. Months later, a firm sentence would arrive -two years later, the pardon-, but then the opposition reproached the president of the Table, the socialist Meritxell Batet, for allowing such words.

After that session, the PP filed an appeal before the Constitutional Court. They considered that their right to political representation was being violated by receiving unequal treatment compared to other deputies, those who used unconventional formulas when abiding by the Magna Carta.

Although his request was admitted for processing, the Constitutional Court rejected it and endorsed the expressions used by the independentistas when he assumed his seat.. The resolution came just a few months ago, but these types of controversies have much longer.

30 years ago, the judicial body already analyzed the famous tagline that nationalists and pro-independence supporters still use today when abiding by the Constitution: “by legal imperative”.

The socialist Félix Pons expelled three members of Herri Batasuna from the chamber for adding this phrase and denied them the “full condition” of deputies. But the magistrates knocked down their measure and, from that moment, the “yes, I swear” and the “yes, I promise” remained as the only conditions to be sworn in..

Other anecdotes from the session

If Cuca Gamarra’s chances to preside over Congress were nil from the first hour, after Junts’ yes to the socialists, Vox’s position did not help either. Those of Abascal decided to vote for their own candidate, Ignacio Gil Lázaro, as a reproach for being left out of the Table even though they were third force. Neither vice-presidencies, nor secretaries. But it ended up reflecting the gulf that still exists between both parties..

So the prize went to Armengol. When they said her name by 178 votes, the first thing the former Balearic president did was melt into a hug with Patxi López, by her side. Or Patxi the Brief. The PSOE spokesman in Congress presided over the body in that short legislature of 2019 for 126 days.

One of the great anecdotes of the day happened right at the beginning. When it came to listing the 350 deputies that make up the new Chamber, there was only one name that was missing: that of Tesh Sidi. The number 3 of Sumar was not summoned at her debut as a parliamentarian, and she had to notify the Age Table before starting the vote for the presidency.

On the other hand, this is Feijóo’s first time in Congress. At least fully. He was already in the debate on the state of the nation in July last year, but since he was not an elected deputy, he could not speak despite already being the leader of the opposition, after unseating Pablo Casado.

This has been the first day of a political course that, whether or not there is a repetition of the elections, already from the beginning aims to give a lot to talk about.