The PSOE sets April 20 to negotiate an amendment with Podemos to the law of 'only yes is yes'

The PSOE spokesman in Congress, Patxi López, during the press conference after the meeting of the Congress Bureau this Tuesday. ZIPI (EFE)

The Table of Congress has again extended this Tuesday the term to present partial amendments to the controversial law of Sexual Freedom or the

This new limit to propose changes in the reform of the norm proposed by the PSOE is now set for April 10, given the stoppage of the Chamber for the Easter holidays, but the socialist spokesman, Patxi López, wanted to clarify that this should not mean any new delay.

López has assured that the legal modification proposed by the PSOE, and that it will increase some penalties in the Penal Code to prevent future reductions in sentences for sexual offenders, will be ratified yes or yes in plenary session on April 20, and will return from the Senate on 26 of that month to enter into force.

He wanted to sound like an ultimatum.

The PP has denounced this slowdown as another socialist attempt to secretly negotiate some aspects of that law with its partners, has demanded explanations and has offered to apply more urgency.

The PSOE and Unidas Podemos are not negotiating anything yet about the content of this reform of the law of

that the Socialists unilaterally registered on the eve of 8-M, but they want to give themselves room in case any possibility of a meeting point arises that, for now, is not in sight.

Last week an extension was already approved to process partial amendments and another one was accepted this Tuesday, which in theory should expire on April 5, but as that date coincides with Holy Week it will be moved to April 10.

López has appeared at a press conference in Congress to affirm that, in any case, the legal modification of this norm to toughen some penalties will go ahead in plenary session on April 20, it will immediately go through the commission, then through the Senate on April 26 and will then enter into force.

Patxi López, however, has been skeptical about the possibility of reaching any agreement with his coalition partners to negotiate a joint amendment with Unidas Podemos or the Ministry of Equality headed by Irene Montero.

The socialist spokesman thus pointed out that in these weeks "there has already been time" to talk about these hypothetical partial amendments.

"What is needed is to know if there is the will to negotiate and agree to fix that of this law that is not working", he has clarified.

In the PSOE they are very pessimistic about the UP or Igualdad wanting to present some alternative and they stress that up to now they have not raised them.

They also acknowledge that they do not expect solutions from other allied parties in Parliament, such as ERC, EH Bildu or Más País, because they understand that they maintain their "subleased" position to what Podemos and Equality say.

From the opposition, both the PP, Ciudadanos and Vox question whether the PSOE really wants to give urgency to these promised legal changes.

The popular spokesperson, Cuca Gamarra, announced that she will call her socialist counterpart, Patxi López, on Tuesday afternoon, to demand explanations and offer the votes of her formation to promote this reform as soon as possible.

"It is not possible to wait another minute," said Gamarra, and blamed the position and the delay accepted by the PSOE in the Table as a sign of its "hypocrisy" and lack of commitment to "the social outcry" and the situation of the victims of the 820 sexual offenders who have benefited from sentence reductions under the law still in force.