“From the Community of Madrid we want to vindicate the unity of Spain, the sovereignty of the people, the Constitution and the role of the King. What is the King of Spain going to do? Is he going to sign those pardons? Are they going to make him an accomplice to this?”. This incendiary harangue is from Isabel Díaz Ayuso, the new muse of the Spanish ultra-right since Pablo Casado has dedicated himself to flirting with Vox, letting himself be seduced by their siren songs. Díaz Ayuso invited the King to evade his constitutional function by suggesting that he should not sign the grace measure, as would be his obligation. And she was so wide.
As is known, the president of the Community of Madrid pronounced these unfortunate phrases in front of the door of the popular headquarters on Génova street last Sunday, in the context of a failed call to reject the pardons to politicians convicted by the procés. Behind her were, flanking and whitewashing her, the president of the Popular Party, Pablo Casado, and the party's spokesman, Martínez-Almeida. Around her were dozens of public officials and none blinked, not even.
The next day, several spokespersons of the Popular Party have distanced themselves from Díaz Ayuso's statement, to remember the obvious. The obvious, as the renowned journalist JA Zarzalejos has pointed out, is that Felipe VI is the King of a parliamentary monarchy and will sign the pardon decrees if the Council of Ministers so agrees. That signature is a due, constitutional act, which not only does not humiliate him or make him an accomplice to anything other than compliance with the law, concludes Zarzalejos, who cannot be branded as anti-monarchist, precisely.
The truth is that the Popular Party has begun to back down, but with a small mouth. The reason is that the dangerous virus that the extreme right inoculates to all those who approach it already nests inside it: authoritarianism, the demolition of democracy from within and anti-constitutional temptations. The Popular Party moved away from moderation, threw the sense of State into the trash and flirts with the ultra-right to try to reach an impossible dream to achieve: to govern the country with its support, as it already does in Madrid or Andalusia.
In spite of everything, we democrats do not renounce to attract the Popular Party again towards positions of right and center-right approved in the European Union. For this, Pablo Casado must look at Núñez Feijóo, who blocked the rise of the extreme right in Galicia by moving away from it. On the other hand, Ayuso kept her at bay in Madrid by mimicking her, and the reason is that she is extreme right. This is the trap that the Popular Party has set for itself, so it is one step away from becoming an anti-system formation.
The Popular Party has been pointing out for some time as a defender of the institution of the Crown and the King, but, seen what has been seen, I imagine that the monarch will be wishing to shout the same thing as the one who, after a disastrous defense of his lawyer and in the turn of last word, asked the judge to, please, urgently appoint him a new lawyer to defend him from the one who had just intervened. So, if he wants to sign up as a true patriot, the Popular Party has to retrace his steps, move away from the ultra-right, abide by the dictates of the polls, recognize the legitimacy of Pedro Sánchez's Government, respect democratic institutions and embrace the Constitution.
