Spain's main legal body backs former interior minister's nomination as top prosecutor

Spain's General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ), the constitutional body that oversees the judiciary, has backed the nomination of former Socialist interior minister, Dolores Delgado, as the new Spanish Attorney General.

The CGPJ's board voted 12 in favor and 7 against Delgado's appointment as the head of the prosecution ministry on Thursday, after Spanish president, Pedro Sánchez, put his former minister forward for the post on Monday.

Gaining the approval of the CGPJ's board means that Delgado has overcome the first hurdle to being appointed Attorney General, and her nomination will now go before the Justice Committee of Congress, before it goes to the king for ratification.

Controversy over nomination

Yet, Delgado's nomination has proved to be controversial, with questions raised over the impartiality of the former interior minister's potential appointment and criticisms that it contravenes the principle of separation of powers.

The conservative People's Party, for example, said the fact that the CGPJ did not describe Delgado as "ideal" for the post, as it usually does, but limited itself to saying she "fulfills the formal requisites," is a sign of the doubts it has over her appointment.

In fact, two of the three previous nominations for the post of Attorney General received the unanimous backing of the CGPJ's board, with the other getting only one vote against and designated as "ideal" for the position.