The president of the Congress, the socialist Francina Armengol, has demanded that PP and Vox, in their condition as "ideological allies" of the Argentine president, Javier Milei, step forward and defend the Presidency of the Government against the attacks he directed this Wednesday against Pedro Sánchez.
In a meeting organized by Nueva Economía Forum, Milei has labeled Sánchez as a "dictator," "corrupt," and "thief," has called to "kick the socialists out" of the Executive, and has stated that his "friends," the leader of Vox, Santiago Abascal, and the president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, have proposals to put an end to the "decadence" in Spain.
When asked about these statements, Armengol emphasized that, in ideological terms, she is "at the antipodes" of Milei, but stressed that she cannot accept, "and no political leader, whether from the opposition or not, can either," that a head of state comes to Spain to insult, in this case, Sánchez.
"It's basic education"
For Armengol, the "reasonable" thing would be for her "ideological allies," referring to PP and Vox, to "come out against" and position themselves in defense of the Presidency of the Government, "an institution of ours, whether you voted for it or not." "We cannot allow ourselves to be insulted in our own country. It's basic education," she emphasized.
In the same appearance, she was asked about the issue of the Constitutional Court having dismissed the appeal from the Ombudsman against the suspension of the voting right for those naturalized by the so-called 'grandchildren's law' who do not prove to be descendants of exiles.
Regarding this matter, Armengol avoided commenting on the resolutions of both the Constitutional Court and the Supreme Court, recalling that she continues to exercise the Presidency of the Congress. However, she considered it "evident" that the right to vote is one of the most relevant rights that Spanish citizens possess and confessed that it is "very complicated" to explain to those who already participated in the last elections that they are now prevented from doing so.
She expressed these reflections during her speech at the Club Siglo XXI, where she was accompanied by members of the Chamber's Board; the Secretary of State for Relations with the Cortes, Rafael Simancas; the president of the PSOE, Cristina Narbona; the former president of the Congress Meritxell Batet; and the former president of La Rioja, Concha Andreu.
"People are better off than they were"
In her opening speech, Armengol made a broad assessment of the legislature, which she defined as "useful," highlighting that Congress has managed to push forward 80 legislative initiatives aimed at expanding rights and providing responses to the needs of citizens —"People are better off than they were," she summarized— despite the "complex" parliamentary arithmetic and a political row that she described as "excessive."
In this context, she lamented the image of "aggressiveness" projected from Congress, with episodes such as the use of pepper spray or the deputy who confronted the Presidency of the Chamber, and insisted that, since the beginning of the legislature, she has tried to do everything in her power to reduce tension in the hemicycle and promote the achievement of agreements.
"That has been my effort throughout the legislature," Armengol pointed out, who admitted that on many occasions she has considered it preferable to remain silent rather than publicly express her opinion, and warned that, despite the efforts, the political climate could deteriorate even further.
"Things can continue to change for the better or get worse, regress. We are a consolidated democracy, but it hasn't been around for that many years. That's why we cannot forget where we come from and what we have become," she warned, before recalling that on November 29 it will be decided "what direction continues" in Spain.