The Plenary of the Parliament of Cantabria has approved in the afternoon session of this Monday, with the support of PP and Vox, the rejection of the PSOE and the abstention of the PRC, a non-binding proposal promoted by the regionalists for the Chamber to condemn the "successive and serious corruption scandals" that, in their opinion, tarnish the central Government, the PSOE and the personal circle of Pedro Sánchez, and to express the "need" for an "immediate" call for general elections.
The spokesperson for Vox, Leticia Díaz, has argued that this debate cannot become just another one of those that "usually swell the minutes with the usual exchange of partisan reproaches or administrative procedural matters," but rather presented it as "a call for democratic help."
As she indicated, it is "a demand for justice, an act of responsibility towards the thousands of Cantabrians and millions of Spaniards who witness with indignation and absolute helplessness the crumbling of the State's structures. We are facing a genuine national emergency situation, a total crisis that affects the political, moral, and economic spheres."
Díaz has called on the other groups to join the initiative, warning that the Parliament of Cantabria "cannot, under any circumstances, stand aside" as "if the flood of rot emanating from Moncloa did not splash our land."
Among other arguments, the Vox deputy has maintained that Sánchez's arrival at La Moncloa marked the beginning of "a spiral of institutional degradation unprecedented in our recent history" until it became "a machinery guided exclusively by personal profit, the economic benefit of the intimate and family circle, or the blind survival of a party that is willing to devour everything in its path," with the aim of "perpetuating themselves in power, to shield their stay in the Palacio de La Moncloa," both for the president and for "his closest collaborators."
She has lashed out at a management that she has described as "sectarian" and "corruption" by the central Executive and that, in her words, "can kill." At this point, she alluded to "climate fanaticism and the dereliction of duty that completely unprotected citizens" during the DANA in Valencia, the blackout, the death of civil guards in Huelva in an operation against drug trafficking, the railway accidents in Adamuz and Barcelona, and the Zapatero case.
Clash with the PSOE
The socialist spokesperson, Mario Iglesias, began his speech by questioning Díaz's tone: "Are you (Leticia Díaz) in the Parliament of Cantabria or are you in the Concha Espina Theater of Torrelavega" because your speech is "too fake and not very credible. You need to rehearse a little more this summer." He described Vox's proposal as "absurd" and assured that "it was written in Madrid."
According to Iglesias, the text responds to "a script of political agitation written for noise, fake news, the delegitimization of parliamentary democracy, and disregarding respect for any judicial process." Against the allusions to "degradation," he defended that Spain is "today in an unprecedented position of international leadership, with an economy that, in addition to being the fastest growing in Europe, reduces inequality," with "more dignified employment and greater social protection."
The socialist reproached Vox for its discourse on immigration and "the total lack of respect" towards the victims of the cited accidents and towards judicial procedures. He stressed that the PSOE does not admit "any type of corruption" and invoked the principle of presumption of innocence, stating: "We respect justice and that is why we let it work," in contrast to those who "wanted to control the second chamber of the Supreme Court through the back door or destroyed hard drives with hammers."
PRC Criticisms of Polarization
From the PRC, its spokesperson, Pedro Hernando, recalled the visit of Pope Leo XIV to Spain, who "opted to abandon divisive and polarizing narratives," to reproach Vox that, after "a lot of mass," it has registered an initiative with content that he considers "truly dangerous: corrupt and mafia government, enemies, murder of compatriots..."
Hernando also directed reproaches to the PSOE, considering that the "exemplary image in the face of political and economic corruption of the era of Aznar and Mariano Rajoy, as numerous sentences have declared, has collapsed." He accused the socialists of having failed citizens "in choosing their leaders, those who make decisions, those who influence them; and in being exemplary, in leading by example."
After reviewing different cases of corruption affecting both the PSOE and the PP, the regionalist concluded that "nothing has changed" and that "anything goes to bring down the opponent," denouncing the growing polarization. In this context, he recalled the "direct slanders" that PP and PSOE launched against the PRC for the "corrupt" public official scheme in the Public Works case, with "a single objective: to influence the electoral result." "They achieved it, in exchange for what. In exchange for reaching a miserable agreement with ridiculous penalties," he lamented.
Hernando maintained that Spain "needs a change" and urged PP and Vox to register a motion of no confidence. "Show your faces if you believe Spain is doing very badly (...) You must represent and assume what democratic institutions represent," he demanded, closing his speech with the Pope's quote in the Congress of Deputies that "it is necessary to reduce tension."
Five days of reflection and cross-accusations
On behalf of the PP, Alejandro Liz replied to Hernando — whom he accused of having difficulty criticizing the PSOE — that he had come to "preach" when, according to him, "the biggest episode of corruption historically in Cantabria occurred under a PRC government." "And how did you react? By holding a tribute meal for the person responsible for not realizing anything," he quipped.
Liz insisted that Sánchez "has lied" from the beginning, because "he has not come to clean anything up, but to dirty absolutely everything," and described him as "a character without principles or moral convictions beyond the lust for power and the instinct for survival."
Referring to the days when the president announced he was taking time to think, he pointed out: "Now we know why he went to reflect for five days: to put Leire Díez on the payroll and have her organize that harassment and demolition operation against judges, prosecutors, civil guards, and all those who dared to investigate him. Very serious."
The PP deputy concluded that "Sánchez is digging in, but Spain cannot stop. It needs a clean government to get it working," and assured that an Executive led by his party "will restore free institutions at the service of Spaniards." Therefore, he called for "giving the word to the Spaniards."
In her last turn, Leticia Díaz responded to the PRC by stating that "one must have courage" for them to "knowing that in this land there have been 20 years of corruption within Public Works, which your party always directed, come out here to tear their clothes," and she compared the regionalists to the non-Jews of the Third Reich who "remained silent because history did not affect them and there was no one to defend them when they were left alone."
The Vox deputy maintained that Spain is advancing "towards Chávez's and Maduro's Venezuela by leaps and bounds" and concluded that the country's situation is "of such gravity in Sánchez's hands that only one option remains: denounce it firmly and give a voice to Spaniards."