“Visionary Speech Sparks Controversy in the Spanish Parliament”
In a recent speech by Franquis and Armengol, politicians engaged in a dialogue expressing their opinions and concerns. However, during the parliamentary ceremony, there was speculation that there would be no applause in recognition of Franquis as the President of the Parliament. His statement, “If other democracies have been eroded by the efforts of some individuals, we must strive to maintain our democracy,” provoked a reaction from some members of the opposition Republican Party who viewed it as inappropriate.
This raises the question of who Franquis was referring to. Did he only mean the right-wing parties, or could he also have been referring to the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE)? Several members of both houses of Parliament voiced their doubts about this, particularly the far-right party Vox, who were angered by the remark. Abascal even called it a “tavern.” Ultimately, both groups refrained from applauding the President, indicating that the majority present at the conference represented themselves. In fact, the leadership of the People’s Party (PP) deliberately orchestrated a series of actions, delivering a clear message to their members not to applaud.
According to several PP members of Parliament, there was a “runrun” of discomfort following this incident. The anger was fueled by Armengol’s suggestion not to doubt the “legitimacy” of the majority in Parliament and not to distort the “reality” derived from the will of the Spanish people in numerous elections. PP members found it strange that Armengol directed this context to Parliamentarians rather than addressing it to Prime Minister Sánchez and his colleagues, stating, “He should have said that to someone else, not us.”
As the President of Parliament recounted the ten historically significant measures that led the country to where it is now, she only mentioned the repeal of mandatory military service proposed by the PP. “This made it clear that her speech was not institutional but biased, only mentioning laws approved during the PSOE’s term. Naturally, we did not expect her to applaud us,” said one PP member.
“During the meeting, everyone sitting in the audience could clearly sense the discomfort caused by this embarrassing speech. We certainly conveyed the message that we would not applaud (PP members),” added another speaker.
Did Feijóo decide not to applaud Armengol? “We observed for three days and witnessed how her speech did not represent everyone and built a wall in front of the national President. We thought it was inappropriate to applaud such actions; on the contrary, we opposed them,” said one of the public opinion leaders in Parliament.
To signal their refusal to applaud Armengol, several individuals, including Alicia García, the spokesperson in the Senate for the newly-elected PP, turned around and sat down. Two experienced members of Parliament also joined them. However, members of the Socialist Party were already angry. “It started naturally. Although officials asked us not to applaud, we had already planned to do so,” explained one of the Parliamentarians. Another added, “It was a coordinated effort; there was no need for any WhatsApp group within the party.”
“It is a source of pride not to applaud Armengol,” the story continues. The members who were most easily moved saw Feijóo and believed it was “uncomfortable” for Armengol to act as a spokesperson for the government and deviate from the Parliament’s framework, just as Borja Sémper, the official spokesperson for the PP, had stated. In fact, as Armengol finished her speech, Feijóo crossed his arms and applauded enthusiastically.
Sources from the PP criticized Armengol for not mentioning the hostages held captive by Hamas in Gaza after condemning the “massacre” there. They also criticized her for not shouting “Long live the Constitution! Long live the King!” at the end of her speech.
Cuca Gamarra, the Secretary-General of the PP, said, “Exaggerating Armengol’s role as President of Parliament and engaging in biased behavior is universal and divisive.” Feijóo also said, “Applauding this provocation is absolutely inappropriate.” He described it as the worst speech he had ever heard from a President of Parliament.
