PSOE removes Catalan Socialist Meritxell Batet from party board for rejecting Rajoy investiture

Barcelona (CNA).- The PSOE has removed the Catalan socialist MP Meritxell Batet from the party Board in the Spanish Parliament, leaving her position vacant until the group resolves the relationship with the PSC. The decision was taken by the party after a two-hour meeting to decide the measures against the 15 MPs, including the seven members of the PSC, who broke voting discipline and rejected Rajoy’s investiture. The spokesman of the PSOE interim leadership, Mario Jiménez, announced that apart from Batet, also the Balearic MP Sofia Herranz has been relieved of her party duties. Both were Deputy Secretary General. However, PSC MPs Joan Ruiz, Manuel Cruz and Mercè Perea will keep the chairmanship of the committees they already hold. After the announcement, Batet explained that she “accepts and respects” the decision, but she does not share it and that she would have preferred for the issue not to have been tackled “in this way”. 

Batet also stated that PSC will work for the “strengthening” of the relationship between the two parties and the maintenance of the “common project”. Furthermore, the politician stressed that the PSC MPs will make an effort to ensure that the relationship with their fellow group members, especially the ones of the interim leadership are “very fluid”. “This is our obligation, responsibility and determination”, she said.

At a press conference, Jiménez explained that the post as Deputy General Secretary held by Batet will remain vacant “until negotiations come to an end” with the PSC. The interim leadership has considered that the best option is to “keep an open line” of dialogue, as both parties want to stay together. “In the future the PSC should have the option to join the group leadership”, Jiménez stated.

Indeed, three members of the PSC will keep their jobs. Ruiz will continue as head of the Disabilities committee, Perea at the head of ​​the Toledo Pact, an ambitious reform of the Spanish social security system approved in 1995, and Cruz in charge of the Education committee. In this sense, Jiménez explained that the PSOE leadership has taken into account that the process of negotiation of disagreements between PSC and PSOE is still open and that the “final approach” of the structure of the group in the Spanish Parliament will be decided at the end of the negotiations. As for economic sanctions, which could range between €200 and €600, Jiménez did not specify any figures.  

Among those MPs facing disciplinary action over the vote are the seven members of the PSC, two representatives from the Balearic Islands, one from Castile and León, four backbenchers and two independents. They all voted against the nomination of Rajoy. Pedro Sánchez, the former leader of the party, did not vote as he resigned as deputy and gave up his seat in the Spanish Parliament just before the final investiture vote. 

PSOE announces the members of the committee for negotiating with the PSC

Jiménez also announced that the negotiating committee, the creation of which was agreed on Monday to tackle the relationship problems, will be formed by the MEP Elena Valenciano, the author of the resolution that allowed Rajoy’s investiture, the history-making PSOE MP Francisco Fuentes, and himself. The Catalan Socialists will be represented by the new secretary of the organisation, Salvador Illa, the Mayor of Cornellà, Antoni Balmón, and Batet.

Jiménez stressed that these people will have to negotiate and reach agreements on “organisational and political issues” and reiterated the determination to “continue working together”. He said, though, that an “honest assessment” of the situation and of the protocol is needed in order to “ensure that the rules are clear” and “clarify” any new conflict that may arise in the future. “We hope that the negotiations come to fruition and we will work for it”, he said. In the same vein, Batet described the constitution of the negotiating committee as “good news” “We all have to work in favour of the understanding, unity and strengthening of socialism everywhere”, she concluded.

PSOE and PSC crisis over Rajoy’s investiture

The tensions among PSC and PSOE escalated when the Catalan branch announced it was going to vote ‘no’ to the investiture of the now re-elected Spanish President, Mariano Rajoy. The PSOE agreed at its Federal Committee on the 23rd of October to abstain and facilitate the Conservative People’s Party (PP) to form government. However, 15 MPs of the party, seven of them representatives from the PSC, broke party lines and rejected the investiture of Rajoy on the 29th of October. The PSC had already announced that it would reject the president’s investiture.

Indeed, the National Council of the Catalan Socialist Party (PSC), which took place the 25th of October, approved a resolution that reaffirmed their 'no' to the investiture of current Spanish President, Mariano Rajoy. The resolution, passed with 241 votes in favour and only one abstention.