The decision of the Constitutional Court
The decision of the Constitutional Court to annul the remote vote of Junts deputy Lluís Puig, exiled in Belgium, at the behest of the PSC has generated a great impact. This resolution also affects two other deputies, Carles Puigdemont and Ruben Wagensberg, and means the death of the telematic voting system for exiles enabled by the Parliament table of the previous legislature. La Vanguardia highlights this decision with the headline: “Puigdemont and Puig together lose the votes by order of the TC”, while Ara emphasizes the consequences with the headline: “The TC makes it more difficult for there to be a table independence”.
A controversial decision
The resolution of the Constitutional Court does not annul any of the votes in which Puig had intervened during the last legislature, which is curious. It is even more surprising that they insist on the need for the vote of a deputy or a senator to always be present. This requirement seems anachronistic in today’s times, where technology allows remote participation in many areas of daily life.
Reactions and political implications
The decision of the Constitutional Court has generated various reactions. El Punt Avui has devoted a meager amount of space to this news, while El Periódico does not mention it on the front page, as it seems that it does not consider this issue related to Catalan political institutions relevant, especially if it involves independence. In Madrid, the front pages of the newspapers also do not refer to this intervention of the Constitutional Court which affects the majority of the Parliament of Catalonia. La Razón devotes a small space to the news, while El Mundo and El País open with other topics, such as the judicial scandal surrounding Begoña Gómez, the wife of Pedro Sánchez, president of the Spanish government.
Expectations of political parties
According to El País, both the PP and the PSOE expect electoral gains from this judicial mess. It is interesting to observe how each newspaper interprets the expectations of the parties according to its editorial line. The ABC complains that Begoña Gómez appeared next to her husband at a rally, while La Razón highlights that the PP hopes to gain electoral benefits from this situation.
conclusion
The Constitutional Court’s decision on the remote vote of Junts deputy Lluís Puig has generated a great debate and has had political repercussions. This resolution has called into question the telematic voting system for exiles and has generated various reactions. The expectations of the political parties are different depending on the newspaper you consult. The evolution of this situation and its political implications must be followed closely.