The PP downplays Rajoy’s words about France: “They are comments in favor of Spain and without bad intentions”

The PP has downplayed Mariano Rajoy’s words about the French national football team, which will face Spain this Tuesday in the World Cup. The former Prime Minister stated on Friday that France has “a very high-level squad,” but “without French players,” words that the PP relativizes because they were written in a column in El Debate in a “sarcastic” manner and “without bad intentions.” 

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“We understand that it is a column written by Mr. Rajoy, which is sarcastic. And these columns are written without bad intentions. They are comments in favor of Spain. I would limit it to this scope, I would not give it another interpretation,” said the party spokesperson, Borja Sémper. 

Immediately after, Sémper added that what differentiates the PP from Pedro Sánchez is that “the Prime Minister has said or stated that he wants the best to win.” “We want Spain to win,” he added. 

The Government is attacking the PP for Rajoy’s words and for having sent the Treaty of Friendship with France to the Constitutional Court through the Senate. Sánchez has accused Rajoy of making “xenophobic” statements while Minister José Manuel Albares accuses the PP of “boycotting” relations with France. 

Sémper has also spoken about the new judicial situation of the mayor of Móstoles, Manuel Bautista, who has been summoned to testify as an investigated party on October 9 within the case investigating him for the complaint filed by a former councilor of his party for sexual and workplace harassment. In this regard, the party spokesperson limited himself to saying that there is an open file that “is ongoing.” 

“The truth is that the National Committee of Rights and Guarantees of the Popular Party has already taken the measures in our statutes, which is to open an informative file that is ongoing and there is no news,” said Sémper. “I must say that I am convinced that if I were a spokesperson for the Socialist Party at this moment, I would be pointing at the judge. But since I am not, what I have to say is that we have the utmost confidence in justice,” he affirmed. 

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Likewise, the PP seems to want to reduce the climate of tension regarding the Amnesty Law. This Thursday, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) is expected to rule on the law following appeals filed by the PP itself, and Sémper wanted to assure that his party will comply with the ruling. 

“Maximum respect and confidence. Whatever the ruling, we will comply with it as we always do with all judicial sentences. This is a duty. We will respect the sentences in their entirety,” said Sémper, who did not want to go into much detail about the Amnesty, beyond pointing out that the PP’s position is “political” and that the pardon was “a tool” that Sánchez “pulled out of the hat” to secure an investiture. 

“When shortly before he had said that this Amnesty Law had no place and that under no circumstances would he promote it,” said Sémper, pointing out that the Amnesty aimed “to gain the political favor of those who benefited from the Amnesty Law.” “We have not had a legislature, but rather an investiture,” he concluded.