The PSOE and the right wing veto the Government from explaining the departure of Juan Carlos I

An unusual political confluence this Friday allowed the Board of Congress to veto the request for the Government to appear in the Chamber to explain the departure of Juan Carlos I from Spain. The request presented by Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC) was rejected thanks to the votes from the PSOE and the two parties on the right, PP and Vox. The vote in the governing body of Congress showed how this issue divides the Government, since the representatives of United We Can spoke out in favor of the appearance.  

The Board of Congress rejected the request that the Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, and the First Vice President, Carmen Calvo, appear to explain the decision of the emeritus king to leave Spain, after the judicial investigation into his accounts in tax havens, with the argument that this matter constitutes a “matter beyond the competence of the Executive”. The request had been processed by ERC, Sánchez's investiture partner and one of the hypothetical allies of the Government to carry out the Budgets, with the support of the other nationalist forces —Junts per Catalunya, EH Bildu, BNG and CUP— except the PNV.  

The refusal of the Table implies that the matter will no longer be dealt with at the meeting of the Permanent Delegation - the highest decision-making body in vacation times - convened for next Tuesday. At that meeting, the opposition's request for the appearance of the second vice president, Pablo Iglesias, will be addressed to account for the accusations that have led to the opening of a judicial investigation on Podemos for alleged embezzlement.

Faced with the position of the PSOE, supported in this case by the right, the representatives of United We Can in the Table expressed their disagreement when considering that the Government should give explanations, "at least" through Vice President Carmen Calvo, as reported Europa Press. The president of the confederal group of United We Can, Jaume Asens, announced, after the departure of Juan Carlos I, that his formation would request the appearance of Calvo, but at the moment he has not registered any request in this regard. ERC, on the other hand, presented two requests to know details of what it qualifies as the king emeritus's “flight operation”.