The members of the CGPJ reactivate the negotiation on the Constitutional without a conservative candidate and will speak again on the 16th
The vowels of General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ) in charge of negotiating the appointments of the Constitutional Court have resumed the conversation after almost a month. The progressive wing, which has long handled a list of nine candidates, has decided that José Manuel Bandrés will be its final proposal. Conservatives, on the other hand, they have not put any name on the tablebut they have promised to study the progressive proposal for next November 16, the day on which the next meeting will take place.
“Progressive members have been told that in the next few days we will complete the investigation of candidates possible on our part and we will carry out the suitability evaluation of yours”, sources from the conservative wing have communicated.
As reported Europe Pressthe vocal negotiators of the progressive sector have detailed in their statement that Bandrés has been chosen by a “large majority” and “after a deep deliberation and a rigorous examination” of the curriculum of the other candidates, towards whom they have expressed their “respect and recognition”.
Although they have not revealed the identity of these other candidates, they have specified that “member Enrique Lucas has not participated in the deliberation and voting carried out.” The aforementioned sources indicate that his brother, also a magistrate of the Supreme paul lukeis one of the names that sound strong to go in the duo of the CGPJ for the TC.
On the other hand, the conservative wing has stressed that it will value “as very convenient” a joint statement “demanding the restoration of powers constitutional rights of the CGPJ until its renewal takes place”.
About two months late
The members of the Council are now resuming negotiations that should have concluded on September 13, as dictated by the legal mandate. The deadline was set by a express reform of the Organic Law of the Judiciary that the Government promoted last July, enabling the Council to appoint members of the Constitutional while it remains unable -for being in office since December 2018- to make other discretionary appointments.
Said reform forced appointments to be made three months after the vacancies on the Constitutional Court were released. In this case, taking into account that on June 12 four magistrates exhausted their mandateanother four should be appointed this September 13: two by the Government and another two by the CGPJ, as established by law.
The blockade imposed by the conservative members led to the negotiations breaking down on October 5, five days before Lesmes’ resignation. The resignation of the president of the CGPJ caused a rapprochement between Pedro Sánchez and Alberto Núñez Feijóo to unblock the Council and completely set aside the renewal of the Constitutional.
The total number of members of the power body of the judges began to prioritize the appointment of a new president. The Council appointed the member Rafael Mozo and, in the expectation of a pact between the Executive and the Popular Party, left the Constitutional in the background.
The sudden breakdown of talks between the government and the popular has awakened in the members of the CGPJ an urgency to name the candidates of the Constitutional. Now the conservatives are showing willing to propose a candidatebut they haven’t chosen it yet.
