The PSOE lowers its pact with the PP on the 'law of only yes is yes', but Podemos accuses him of allowing himself to be "humiliated" by the right

The pact between the PSOE and the PP to carry out this week in Congress the reform of some articles of the law on sexual freedom or

It is practically tied up, but the Socialists are trying to lower the level of that alliance to something circumstantial, merely technical, so as not to annoy their usual partners, in the Government and Parliament, more than necessary.

The strategy was clearly verified this Monday morning, even before the meeting of the panel that must approve the new legal text, when the socialist spokespersons have publicly reduced the agreement closed with the agreement to a simple exchange of words. the PP a few minutes before.

The popular, for now, only admit that the PSOE has accepted an amendment on a correction of the implications on the Internet of the dissemination of images of minors.

The presentation of the Justice Commission has tried to close to the maximum, in less than half an hour, the amendments raised by different groups to the bill registered in its day only by the PSOE to reform the law of only yes is yes

The meeting

It has been held in a climate of discomfort with that party on the part of its usual partners, in the Executive and in the Cortes.

The two deputies of the PSOE have even arrived late for the meeting because they had come from maintaining contact with the two representatives of the PP in the same session.

Before entering the conference room, the socialist deputies, Andrea Fernández and Laura Berja, have gone to another separate room to give some reasons for this negotiation with the PP to their interlocutor in the PNV, Mikel Legarda, a partner theoretically key in all parliamentary initiatives and on this occasion also relegated.

Andrea Fernández and Laura Berja have wanted to explain publicly, even before the appointment in the presentation, that the changes negotiated and accepted with the PP were only "technical" and had no major substantive significance.

Fernández has even assured that if the PP tried to tweak any substantial aspect of its reform, the PSOE would not accept it.

The socialist deputy and member of the executive, who is the one who in recent days has established some contacts with the PP, has also responded to the complaints expressed in recent days by Unidas Podemos, ERC and EH Bildu for having undertaken this negotiation with the PP.

It seems to Fernández that these criticisms expose a lack of "parliamentary maturity."

More information

The PSOE will negotiate technical corrections with the PP to get the reform of the 'law of only yes is yes' without its partners

At the end of the meeting, the presentation passed this first processing filter with the vote in favor of the PSOE, the PP, Ciudadanos and the PNV and with the opposition of Unidas Podemos, ERC, EH Bildu and, also in this case, Vox.

The negotiations will continue this Monday afternoon and also on Tuesday, before the Justice Commission meets.

The PSOE clarified that it had accepted a total of two PP amendments (57 and 64) and that they had compromised 62 to replace the word “circumstances” with “modalities”.

In amendment 58 of the PP, “for the purposes of the previous section” of article 178.2 of the Penal Code is eliminated to prevent the aforementioned precept from being associated with the penalty of article 178.1.

However, it is indicated that this modification "is purely semantic and clarifying, in no case does it subvert the definition of consent", which was the nuance that the ERC deputy had under suspicion.

The PP spokesperson in this matter, Marta González Vázquez, limited herself to confirming before the meeting that they had initiated contacts with the PSOE and that they were on the right track.

And she ratified it again on the way out.

Sources from the leadership of the Popular Parliamentary Group specified later that the PP has been carrying out this dialogue for several days and that until now they had only managed to get one of their 14 partial amendments to the reform accepted.

The already agreed amendment has to do with the criminalization of the dissemination of sexual crimes of minors under 16 years of age over the internet and social networks.

The PSOE qualifies that in this case their reform already included a large part of the same exposition and that the only thing they assume from the popular proposal are almost semantic corrections.

The PP amendment literally states: "On the other hand, having omitted the reference to chapter II, which replaces II bis (suppressed by the fourth final provision, 9º of LO 10/2022, which says 'chapter II is suppressed bis of title VIII of book II'), there is another declassification by mistake in this case, of the reform introduced by Organic Law 8/2021, of June 4, on the comprehensive protection of children and adolescents against violence (LOPIVI), which must be recovered urgently, which is why the modification of article 189 bis is also included in these amendments.

Martina Velarde, the spokesperson at the United We Can presentation, reproached the PSOE for its agreement with the PP, which she considered "very bad news."

And she regretted that the Socialists had only accepted amendments and transactions from the PP and from no other group.

The Minister for Equality, Irene Montero, disqualified that pact and called it "inexplicable" and humiliating for the PSOE.

She assured that there would still be time to rectify it before Thursday's plenary session: “I ask the PSOE to negotiate with the investiture partners.

I am willing until the end to reach an agreement so that the PSOE lets go of the hand of the PP.

The PSOE has extended its hand to the PP and the PP enchantedly takes its arm.

We insist that we want feminist reform, not reform that backtracks and returns to a state where the credibility of the victim is questioned."

The Minister of Education and spokesperson for the Socialist Executive, Pilar Alegría, replied to UP's criticism: “I have always understood that feminism is inclusive, it is not exclusive.

I wish feminism was broader with each passing day.

I wish that transversal movement that calls us men and women would have more followers, it would be a good step as a country and as a society ”.

"It is incomprehensible that the PSOE prefers to implement feminist policies with the PP.

Our amendments to the Law Only Yes is Yes facilitate its application while keeping consent at the center and avoid returning to the Penal Code of La Manada."

📽@AleJacintoUrang pic.twitter.com/GAZdx6bihE

– We can (@PODEMOS) April 17, 2023

plenary session on Thursday

The PP had advanced, last week, that it was demanding that the PSOE also change another aspect of the reform in relation to the so-called sexual indemnity of minors.

The popular ones want to include that crime again with this text: “The protection of children and adolescents determines that their consent to have sexual relations with adults is invalid when they are under 16 years of age.

Therefore, it is not possible to speak of their sexual freedom, due to the lack of decision-making capacity, but of indemnity, guarantee of the free development of their personality”.

The PSOE has not yet accepted this point.

The Justice commission must assume or not the changes proposed by various parties on Tuesday so that the final text is voted on in plenary session on Thursday.

The debate and the approval this week of these changes in the

comes in the middle of the electoral fray and after knowing last week the second official balance of the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ) of the reductions in sentences for sexual offenders since the entry into force of that rule, on October 7.

In this computation, the reduced sentences stand at 978, of which 104 have also led to the release of the aggressor.

The figure is somewhat higher than the one that was leaked last Wednesday (943 reductions and 103 releases) because at that time it was necessary to incorporate the information from various superior courts of justice and provincial courts.

Over the weekend, the Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, even went so far as to apologize to the victims of sexual crimes in an interview with the newspapers of the Vocento group, in a plan designed from La Moncloa to reconcile him with the important female electorate .

Subscribe to continue reading

Read without limits

Keep reading

I'm already a subscriber