Parliament disengages from the legal battle between PSIB and Le Senne

PalmParliament has decided not to get involved in the legal battle between the Speaker of the House, Gabriel Le Senne (Vox), and the two Socialist members of the Bureau, Mercedes Garrido and Pilar Costa. The PSIB (Socialist Party of the Balearic Islands) deputies have filed two appeals with the Constitutional Court against Le Senne: the first for tearing down a photograph of Aurora Picornell from the Speaker's chair during a plenary session, and the second for expelling the two Socialist deputies for wearing a Picornell t-shirt on October 2. Vox has decided to remain neutral and will not appear as either the prosecution or the defense, according to sources familiar with the matter. According to several members of the Bureau, the PP (People's Party) and Vox closed ranks again two weeks ago to reiterate their decision not to participate in the legal proceedings, specifically regarding the second appeal. The same sources report that, while the PSIB deputies, Garrido and Costa, decided to leave the meeting because they did not consider it appropriate to vote on a matter that affected them personally, Le Senne did not act in the same way. The Speaker of the House, who had previously torn up the photograph and expelled the two deputies, accusing them of violating the neutrality of the Bureau, on this occasion deemed it acceptable to participate in a vote that directly involved him. According to several sources, Le Senne argued that the issue did not pertain to the substance of the case. In any case, he simply added his vote to those of the two PP members of the Bureau, Mauricio Rovira and Misericordia Sugrañes, who preferred to keep the institution out of the matter.

Le Senne's relationship with the PSIB members in Parliament was cordial (even to the PP's dismay) for a year, until the repeal of the Democratic Memory Law, agreed upon between the PP and Vox, entered Parliament. On June 19, 2024, during the plenary session debating the repeal of the law, via a bill presented by the far right, the Socialist benches decorated their seats with photographs of victims of repression during the Civil War and the dictatorship. Garrido and Costa, as members of the Bureau, also affixed a photograph of Picornell, an Illustrious Daughter of Mallorca, and the Rojas del Molinar sisters to their laptops. After receiving complaints from the PP and VoxAppealing to the neutrality of the Chamber's governing body, Le Senne demanded they remove the photographs, but they refused. It was at that moment that the president lost his temper, tore down Picornell's photograph, and expelled the socialists for disobeying him. Le Senne is also being investigated for these events for a possible hate crime, after being reported by relatives of the victims and memorial organizations. Furthermore, both members of parliament took the matter to the Constitutional Court, arguing that their rights as members of parliament had been violated.

Months later, in October of the same year, Le Senne again sent off Garrido and Costa for refusing to remove a shirt with photographs of Picornell and the Molinar RedsThe judge acted at the behest of Vox, which argued that including the documents compromised the body's neutrality. The plenary session ended abruptly when the entire opposition walked out of the chamber in protest against the decision. This action is now also under review by the Constitutional Court.