Santiago Abascal has asked this Monday the Popular Party to support with its votes the initiative of Vox to resort to the article 102 of the Constitution and promote an accusation against Pedro Sánchez for "treason" in relation to the crisis in Ceuta. The party needs additional parliamentary support for the procedure to advance in Congress.
The president of Vox has made the call from San Lorenzo de El Escorial, after the meeting of the National Executive Committee with which the party has started the political course, advances El Confidencial. Abascal blames Sánchez for what happened in Ceuta and claims that the president was aware of the existing risks before the massive entry.
"He knew what was going to happen, he did nothing to prevent it, and even today he shows his alliance and sycophantic attitude with the regime of Morocco," Abascal has stated, linking these accusations with the initiative that Vox intends to bring to Congress.
Vox needs the PP to launch the initiative
Abascal's party does not have on its own the necessary deputies to initiate the procedure specifically provided for an accusation of treason or for crimes against the security of the State committed in the exercise of governmental functions.
The Constitution requires that the proposal comes from one quarter of the members of Congress. In a Chamber of 350 deputies, that requirement amounts to 88 parliamentarians, a figure that Vox does not reach alone.
Once that first step is overcome, the accusation also needs to be approved by absolute majority of Congress, that is, at least 176 votes. The support of the PP would therefore be necessary for the strategy announced by Vox, although it would not guarantee by itself reaching that majority.
What article 102 of the Constitution establishes
Article 102 regulates the criminal responsibility of the president of the Government and the ministers for acts committed in the exercise of their positions. In these cases, the competence corresponds to the Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court.
The Constitution incorporates reinforced requirements when the accusation specifically refers to treason or a crime against the security of the State. It is in those cases when it requires the initiative of one quarter of Congress and the subsequent support of the absolute majority.
The provision also determines that the royal prerogative of grace cannot be applied to any of the cases of criminal responsibility covered in this article.
Vox had already announced its offensive after the Ceuta crisis
The request now made to the PP continues an initiative that Vox had put forward at the beginning of August. The party then announced that it intended to use Article 102 to investigate possible criminal responsibilities of the president and members of his Government for what happened in Ceuta.
Vox argues that the Executive had prior information about the risk of a massive entry and considers that its response was insufficient. The party has used these circumstances to politically substantiate its accusation of "treason."
The existence of alerts and prior reports has been the subject of controversy in recent weeks. Pedro Sánchez acknowledged this Monday that the CNI prepared situation reports, although he maintains that none anticipated the severity and magnitude that the crisis ultimately reached.
Abascal again attacks Sánchez's relationship with Morocco
Vox's position contrasts with the explanation offered by Sánchez about Morocco's role. The president of the Government assured this Monday that there is no information from the State Security Forces or the CNI implicating the Moroccan authorities in the massive entry.
Abascal maintains an opposing interpretation and accuses the Executive of maintaining a relationship of subordination with respect to Rabat. This assessment is part of the political argument with which Vox intends to justify its parliamentary initiative.
The next step will now depend on the support that the party can obtain in Congress. Without reaching the thresholds established in the Constitution, the proposal could not progress to a possible demand for criminal responsibility before the Supreme Court.