Spain’s left-wing parties are attempting to pass a measure that will make it easier for Congress to skip public consultation when passing new legislation.
The Objective reports that the governing Socialist Party and its far-left junior partner Sumar added an amendment to the Gender Parity Bill that introduces a new formula allowing the government to pass laws without prior consultation with experts or the public.
The current government is known for introducing important legislation as “urgent,” which also allows for cutting corners on public debate, but this new rule will add another option that can be applied to a wider swath of regulations.
It uses a highly contested reading of a high court ruling from earlier this year. The court ruled that a series of “accumulated circumstances” could justify skipping required public consultation. In other words, cutting those corners is permissible as an exception. But the proposed bill will turn it from an exception into a rule, requiring only one special factor to limit external consultations. The amendment lists the seven situations the court cited as possible justifications for eliminating external consultation but states that consultation is not required when any single one is present.
Though seemingly minor, the bill is another example of Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez’s assault on democracy marked by a lack of transparency and attempts to control the judiciary.
