The three left-wing groups of Andalusia dealt PP and Vox their first parliamentary defeat this Wednesday; these parties govern in coalition in the community. They used a trick provided for in the Rules of the Andalusian Parliament that requires a reinforced majority to debate initiatives in the plenary session concerning exclusive State competences. The proposals were about the “invasion of Ceuta” and, besides expressing solidarity with the autonomous city, defending territorial integrity and Spanish sovereignty, they criticized the central Government’s actions, urging it to take a series of measures to expel foreign persons without the right to remain in Spain.
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This first setback occurred in the Board of Spokespersons, which approved the agenda for the second plenary session of the newly inaugurated XIII legislature following the Andalusian elections in May. Both Vox and PP defended including two non-binding motions (resolutions that are not mandatory) about the Ceuta crisis following the influx of people who entered the autonomous city on July 30 and 31. Both parliamentary groups demanded a series of actions from the central Government regarding Morocco and the expulsion of immigrants.
The Rules of the Andalusian Chamber (article 171) require support from two-thirds of the Parliament (73 of 109 deputies) or three groups for non-binding motions that “express a certain will or issue a political declaration regarding matters of exclusive competence of the State or local Administration” to be debated in plenary. PP and Vox have an absolute majority and total 68 seats (53 from PP and 15 from Vox), but not the required 73 for this case.
In the case of the one proposed by Vox, five of the 10 points of their proposal were rejected by the groups of PSOE (28 seats), Adelante Andalucía (eight), and Por Andalucía (five). The PP’s proposal was rejected outright, and its spokesperson, Toni Martín, decided on the spot not to present any other in place of the failed one. However, he strongly reproached the left, whom he applauded by clapping his hands vigorously “for their clumsiness.” “They come with tape to gag the Parliament,” he said to Antonio Maíllo (Por Andalucía), José Ignacio García (Adelante), and María Márquez (PSOE). “What a shame to prevent debate!” he emphasized.
In the Andalusian parliamentary agenda, the Ceuta crisis occupies a prominent place. Not because there are no other issues to focus the start of the session period on, such as the Los Gallardos (Almería) fires, with 15 deaths, and the Niebla (Huelva) fire, the largest recorded in Spain with nearly 40,000 hectares burned.
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The opposition tries to take advantage of the evident change of stance of the Andalusian president, Juan Manuel Moreno, regarding immigration after his coalition pact with Vox. Moreno has gone in a matter of months from rejecting “the hunt for immigrants” to stating that the transfer of unaccompanied minors from Ceuta to the Peninsula would lead to a “pull effect.”
This is the same position defended and still defended by his ultra partner, also opposed to the application of bilateral agreements signed by the Andalusian Government and Ceuta in the last two legislatures regarding immigration. Moreno and Juan Jesús Vivas signed in March 2019, two months after the popular party came to the autonomous government, a general cooperation protocol. This was later developed into a specific agreement in January 2024 for the transfer of unaccompanied migrant minors in case of a migratory contingency. The PP denies that this circumstance occurs. Also Vox, whose deputy spokesperson, Rodrigo Alonso, believes what has happened is an “invasion perpetrated by Morocco.”
The 150-measure coalition pact signed by Moreno and his second vice president, Manuel Gavira (Vox), establishes their rejection of the “arrival of more illegal immigrants, both adults and minors,” but also states that it will comply with the legislation. The agreement also includes an annual audit of “all expenses linked to mass immigration” by the Court of Auditors and the “total elimination of subsidies to NGOs that favor illegal immigration.”
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