The spokesperson for the parliamentary group Por Andalucía, Antonio Maíllo, has shown himself "convinced" that PP-A and Vox will close agreements among themselves, without involving the opposition groups, for the renewal of institutions and bodies of parliamentary designation such as the Ombudsman of Andalusia. They would do so under the protection of the qualified majority that both formations sum in the XIII legislature, in which they share a coalition government pact.
"It would be a mistake to do it, but I am convinced that they are going to do it," Maíllo has pointed out in an interview with Europa Press, when asked about the possibility that PP-A and Vox will agree alone on the appointment of heads of bodies such as the Ombudsman of Andalusia, taking advantage of the three-fifths majority that allows them to advance in Parliament the appointment of the person in charge of that institution.
The Andalusian Parliament has 109 seats, of which PP-A and Vox control 68 in this legislature —53 from the Popular Group and 15 from the formation led by Manuel Gavira— thus surpassing the threshold of three-fifths of the Chamber.
The position of Ombudsman of Andalusia officially became vacant in September 2024, after the conclusion of Jesús Maeztu's second term. However, Maeztu has continued to perform his duties since then, in the absence of a successor designated by the Parliament.
In the previous legislature, the Popular Group proposed the then-president of Cruz Roja Andalucía, Rosario García Palacios, to occupy the Ombudsman of Andalusia. However, the proposal did not prosper as it did not obtain sufficient support from the opposition groups to reach the three-fifths majority required by Law 9/1983, of December 1, of the Ombudsman of Andalusia.
Pending renewal in the RTVA and the Audiovisual Council
Apart from the Ombudsman, the Plenary of the Andalusian Parliament must also address the renewal of the Audiovisual Council of Andalusia (CAA) and the board of directors of Radio Televisión de Andalucía (RTVA) "within a maximum period of one year from its constitution" —which took place on June 11 in the current XIII legislature—, after the regional elections of May 17.
This is established by the regulations governing the Audiovisual Council and the RTVA, consulted by Europa Press, which stipulates that the mandate of the members of both bodies of parliamentary extraction is adjusted to that of the corresponding legislature. Their mandate concludes with the dissolution of the Chamber due to the call for elections, although its members continue in office until the new councils are appointed.
The Law 2/2019, of June 26, introduced changes to the laws 18/2007, of December 17, on Radio and Television owned by the autonomous community managed by the Public Business Agency of Radio and Television of Andalusia (RTVA), and 1/2004, of December 17, on the creation of the Audiovisual Council of Andalusia.
With this legal framework, both the Andalusian Audiovisual Council (CAA) and the board of directors of the RTVA must be composed, in each case, of nine members elected by the Parliament of Andalusia by a three-fifths majority.
Maíllo warns of a "strategic alliance" between PP-A and Vox
In this scenario, the spokesperson for Por Andalucía predicts that PP-A and Vox will agree to renew this type of body alone, based on the idea that "they have taken a path that is irreversible for them, which is that of a strategic alliance of the far right and the right in Andalusia" that represents "a disaster for the interests of Andalusian society," he has warned.
In his opinion, there should be "a debate in Andalusian society itself" that leads to "asking" about "the consequences of a pact with such a qualified majority" that makes possible "a renewal of the institutions without counting on the opposition."
In the previous legislature, the Plenary of the Andalusian Chamber already renewed the composition of the RTVA council and the CAA in October 2022, just three months after its constitution in July, following the elections of June 19. That renewal was carried out without including candidates proposed by the group Por Andalucía, as a result of an agreement between PP-A, PSOE-A, and Vox.
Regarding that absence of representation of Por Andalucía in those bodies of parliamentary extraction, Maíllo has emphasized that his group has always defended "because it has been part of the very history of Andalusian autonomy," respect for the "diversity of Andalusian society itself," so that it "is reflected" in the institutions.
In that same line, he has insisted that the training he represents has "fought hard to always have representation in all parliamentary extraction bodies, because we are parliament," and that he will maintain that position, so he is going to "exhaust all avenues to achieve it."