María Guardiola delivered her speech this Tuesday to be invested as president of Extremadura and emphatically defended her agreement with Vox, despite admitting that it has generated “noise” and avoiding citing the concept of “national priority”: “What is signed is what will be carried out.”
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Guardiola, who will be voted on this Wednesday after hearing the reply from the parliamentary groups, has assumed that “many self-serving interpretations, warnings, and proclamations” have been made about the agreement and has refused to refute them because “it is not the time,” but has asked everyone to read “the agreement word for word” and “delve deeper” because the pact will not violate the law, but rather is the “foundation of stability.”
The agreement, with 61 measures, is heavily marked by the principle of “national priority,” which is reflected in points such as public aid, the allocation of protected housing, and school meals. This concept, in any case, has caused a stir because the Government of Pedro Sánchez has already threatened to appeal some of these measures if it considers them unconstitutional.
The PP, in any case, explains that this principle of “national priority” for access to public benefits translates into “rootedness in the territory,” although Guardiola has not used this concept in her speech either. However, the PP candidate and acting president of Extremadura has made veiled reference to the criteria for accessing aid, speaking of “effective residence” and the creation of a Fraud Verification Unit for benefits and the Census. “The purpose is to combat the fraudulent use of registration and the public resources that this recognition enables,” she stated.
Guardiola also made veiled reference to the elimination of subsidies to NGOs that promote illegal immigration, stating that the Junta de Extremadura will ensure that not a single euro is allocated “to irregularity or collaboration with those who profit from the drama of others.”
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The agreement between PP and Vox includes a section on immigration with twelve measures, and Guardiola referred to some of them, such as the rejection of the distribution of minors.
Guardiola not only referred to migratory issues but also to economic ones. In fact, she highlighted her management so far, with good employment figures and economic activity, and emphasized the commitment to the primary sector, with the rejection of Mercosur and the Green Pact and the defense of irrigation, and the secondary sector, advocating for the continuity of Almaraz, the reinforcement of renewable energy, and the elaboration of an industrial revitalization plan.
Guardiola also referred to the reduction of taxes and called for fair financing, lashing out at the government’s concessions to separatism. She also mentioned the increase in resources for public health, in the form of more spending and more hiring of professionals.
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