Wednesday’s plenary session of Congress included several initiatives on the Ceuta crisis. And the Chamber has approved one of them, which includes the censure of the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, for his management in the autonomous city. The initiative promoted by the PP received the support of Vox and Junts to reach 184 deputies, while 149 parliamentarians voted against it and 11 abstained.
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The initiative, which is a motion from the PP – therefore, it is not binding, but it does allow for more pressure on the Government -, contains four points. The first includes the censure of the minister “for his management at the head of his Ministry, the evident lack of protection of the Spanish borders, the abandonment of Ceuta and his repeated contradictions about prior warnings and alerts.” In addition, the initiative urges Pedro Sánchez to proceed with his dismissal.
With this censure, Marlaska adds one more, becoming the most censured minister by Congress and Senate.
The second point of the text urges the Government to “immediately and permanently strengthen” the presence of the National Police, the Civil Guard, and the Armed Forces in Ceuta with “personnel, material resources, accommodations, allowances and adequate conditions to protect the border.”
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The third point urges the Government to “adopt all necessary measures to make effective the return” of immigrants and, the fourth, demands to “call again the ambassador of Morocco in Spain in view of the repeated claims about Ceuta and Melilla by members of the Moroccan Government” and to demand “clear” explanations about the actions of the Moroccan authorities during the crossing of more than 70,000 people: “In particular, whether they allowed, consented to or facilitated the massive entry that violated a Spanish and European border in Ceuta.”
Vox
The PP supports Vox’s PNL for the return of minors
Likewise, a non-legislative proposal (PNL) and a motion from Vox on Morocco have been voted on, but both have been rejected. The PNL urges the Government to “comply with the Agreement between the Kingdom of Spain and the Kingdom of Morocco on cooperation in the field of preventing illegal migration of unaccompanied minors” from 2007 for the immediate return of all children and adolescents who are in Ceuta – about 1,000, according to the latest figures.
The initiative was supported by 170 deputies, including the backing of the PP, but was rejected by 177 parliamentarians, so it did not pass. Vox’s motion on Ceuta includes 14 points on security measures to strengthen the police and military presence at the border, to reject statements by Moroccan ministers claiming Ceuta and Melilla, or to suspend the Friendship Treaty or the Association Agreement, but it was only supported by Santiago Abascal’s party as the PP abstained there.
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