The second vice-president of the Junta, Isabel Blanco Llamas, has ruled out that the Gender Violence Law will be used as a "throwing weapon" in political debate and has stressed that any regulatory reform must be built on consensus. Faced with this stance, the PSOE's deputy spokesperson in the Cortes, Patricia Gómez, has held her responsible for "making a deal" with those who deny the existence of this violence, in direct reference to Vox.
Blanco addressed this issue during her speech in the Cortes of Castilla y León, in response to criticism from opposition groups after presenting her work plan for the legislature. She recalled that the bill registered in the regional chamber in the last legislature arose "from consensus" within the framework of social dialogue and with the "support" of specialized entities, although she admitted that it "had to be withdrawn" later. This withdrawal has been rejected by the socialist representative, who has maintained that the initiative did not have the backing of feminist associations.
The vice-president reiterated that the future Law "must be for everyone" and focus on the protection of women, emphasizing that it cannot be born from "imposition or generate confrontations" between political forces or social groups.
In response to opposition criticism about the age of the regional law of 2010, Blanco replied that the state law dates from 2004 and, therefore, "is even more obsolete." At the same time, she highlighted that the State Pact against gender violence was "promoted and approved under a PP Government."
For her part, UPL representative Rosa María Quintanilla expressed her group's perplexity that this issue is being debated "when the consensus" necessary to move forward with a new law to articulate it has not been reached.
In her final turn, the second vice-president assured that the future regional gender violence law will see the light of day when the update of state legislation on this matter is concluded. From the rostrum of the Cortes of Castilla y León, she emphasized the importance of coordinating both regulatory frameworks in order to guarantee comprehensive and effective protection for victims.