The Constitution will keep the name "Ibiza" instead of "Eivissa"

Madrid / PalmaThe Constitution will maintain the Castilianized name Ibiza, instead of Eivissa, which is what the Balearic Parliament had requested. The Congress of Deputies has approved this designation in the framework of the debate for Formentera to have its own senator. The proposal originated from a letter from the autonomous Chamber that proposed to give the youngest of the Pitiusa Islands a representative in the Upper Chamber and, in addition, established the designation "Eivissa". However, the PP amended it, stating that, for a "technical" reason, it is appropriate to maintain the toponym in Spanish. The PSOE's abstention allowed it to move forward.

The proposal to give Formentera a senator is a historic demand from the Islands. It is the only island in Spain with an insular council but without a senator. After the socialists accepted this amendment from the popular party, everything indicates it will be approved and the island will have a representative in the Senate. With this measure, the fourth constitutional reform of democracy will be carried out, at the request of the Balearic Parliament. All parties agree, except Vox, which is against increasing spending on political positions.

However, the reform has been on the verge of derailing on several occasions. The PP remained on the sidelines of its admission for processing in Congress, insisting that it feared the left would take advantage of it to introduce other modifications to the Constitution by taking advantage of this window of opportunity. In fact, the PNB presented several amendments on the territorial model in the State that the Congress Bureau did not admit for processing. In parallel, in recent days institutional pressure has grown from the Formentera insular council, governed by Sa Unió, a coalition that includes the PP.

The reform refers to article 69.3 of the Constitution, which establishes that, "in the island provinces, each island or group of islands, with a council or insular council, will constitute a constituency for the purposes of Senators, corresponding to three to each of the major islands (Gran Canaria, Mallorca, and Tenerife), and one to each of the following islands or groups: Ibiza-Formentera, Menorca, Fuerteventura, Gomera, Hierro, Lanzarote, and La Palma". From now on, the hyphen between Ibiza and Formentera will be removed, so that the latter will also acquire the right to have a senator.