The Popular Party will promote in the Senate the reproach of five ministers for their actions during the migration crisis in Ceuta. The spokesperson for the PP in the Upper House, Alicia García, has announced that her group will direct the initiatives against the heads of Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska; Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares; Defense, Margarita Robles; Health, Mónica García; and Equality, Ana Redondo.
The parliamentary offensive occurs after the confrontation between the Government and the popular majority in the Senate over the extraordinary appearances called during August. Marlaska, Albares, and Robles did not attend on the dates set by the Upper House to explain their respective actions in response to the massive entry of migrants recorded in Ceuta at the end of July.
The Executive has opted to account in the Congress of Deputies starting from August 25. The Government defends that its ministers will appear in the Cortes, but rejects submitting to the calendar imposed by the PP in the Senate.
The five ministers that the PP wants to reproach for Ceuta
The initiative announced by Alicia García distributes political responsibilities among five departments involved in the response to the crisis:
- Fernando Grande-Marlaska: as Minister of the Interior, for the surveillance of the border, the actions of the National Police and the Civil Guard, the identification of individuals who entered irregularly, and the processing of returns.
- José Manuel Albares: for the diplomatic management of the crisis and relations with Morocco, especially regarding the doubts raised by the PP about Rabat's cooperation to contain the entries.
- Margarita Robles: for the actions of the Ministry of Defense and the role played by the Armed Forces in the operation deployed in Ceuta.
- Mónica García: for the health response to the significant increase in the population served. The minister acknowledged that the health system in Ceuta was “stressed,” although she denied that it was overwhelmed.
- Ana Redondo: for the response of the Ministry of Equality to the vulnerability situation of migrant women and girls arriving in the autonomous city.
The PP must now specify the content and justification of each parliamentary initiative. Some responsibilities, especially those attributed to Health and Equality, will be known in detail when the motions are registered and incorporated into the agenda of the Plenary.
The PP has a sufficient majority to approve the reproaches
The Popular Party has an absolute majority in the Senate, so it can push through the reprobations without needing the votes of other parliamentary groups. A reprobation expresses the political censure of a Chamber regarding the actions of a member of the Government, but it does not legally oblige the minister to resign nor does it allow the Senate to dismiss him.
The political responsibility of the Government is mainly substantiated before the Congress of Deputies, which is the Chamber that can invest the president or withdraw its confidence through a motion of censure. However, the Senate also exercises control functions and can approve critical motions against specific ministers.
Clash over appearances in the Senate
The initiative is framed in the ongoing struggle between the Government and the Senate over the explanations regarding the crisis in Ceuta. The Upper Chamber, controlled by the PP, enabled August and summoned various committees to call the heads of Interior, Foreign Affairs, and Defense.
The ministers refused to attend on the specified dates and transferred their explanations to Congress. The Executive argues that it needs to prepare the appearances and considers it unnecessary to immediately duplicate the debates in both chambers.
The PP argues, on the contrary, that the refusal amounts to evading parliamentary control and marginalizing the Senate. The popular party is also considering possible institutional and legal actions against the absences.
The Constitution establishes that the Government is subject to the control of the Cortes Generales. However, it does not contemplate an automatic sanction for a minister who does not attend on a specific date nor does it expressly resolve who should set the definitive calendar for an appearance.
The Government will appear in Congress at the end of August
The Government, for its part, has organized a round of appearances in Congress to explain its response to the migration crisis. It is expected that among others, Marlaska, Albares, Robles, Félix Bolaños, Mónica García, Elma Saiz, and Sira Rego will attend.
Mónica García is scheduled to appear before the Health Commission on the 27th of August, while Elma Saiz will do so before the corresponding commission on the 28th. The explanations of Youth and Childhood regarding the care and transfer of migrant minors from Ceuta are also being prepared.
In the list of ministers mentioned by Alicia García, neither Elma Saiz nor Sira Rego appear, despite the fact that their departments are directly involved in the reception of adults and minors. The PP focuses its initiative on the three ministers who starred in the clash over the Senate appearances and on the heads of Health and Equality.