Formentera will have its own senator: Congress approves the fourth reform of the democracy's Constitution

Madrid / PalmaThe Congress has endorsed this Thursday the fourth modification of the Constitution of the democracy, and the reform will serve for Formentera to have its own senator. The proposal started from a text from the Balearic Parliament approved unanimously, and has received the majority support of the Lower House, with 312 votes in favor, 33 against, and five abstentions. Vox was the only party that opposed it, because it is against increasing institutional spending. However, this approval is not definitive, as the Senate must ratify it.

The reform refers to article 69.3 of the Constitution, which establishes that, "to the island provinces, each island or group of them, with an island council, will constitute a constituency for the purposes of Senators, corresponding three to each of the larger 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 eliminated, so that the latter will also acquire the right to have a senator.

The proposal to grant Formentera a senator is a historical demand of the Islands. It is the only island in Spain with an island council but without a senator. Even so, it has come close to derailing on several occasions. The PP remained on the sidelines regarding its admission for processing in Congress, insisting that it feared the left would take advantage to introduce other modifications to the Constitution, seizing this window of opportunity. In fact, the PNB submitted various amendments on the territorial model in the State that the Congress's Board did not admit for processing. In parallel, in recent days, institutional pressure has grown from the Formentera island council, governed by Sa Unió, a coalition that includes the PP, which demanded that the Popular Party admit the modification of the Magna Carta.

institutional pressure from the Formentera island council, governed by Sa Unió, a coalition that includes the PP

, which demanded that the Popular Party admit the modification of the Magna Carta.

Ibiza instead of Eivissa

The PP's support for the reform, however, has come at a cost. The Constitution will maintain the Hispanized name Ibiza, instead of Eivissa, which is what the Balearic Parliament had requested in its proposal. The PP amended the text, stating that, for a "technical" reason, it was appropriate to maintain the Hispanized toponym. Finally, the PSOE has accepted this amendment (it abstained when it was voted on, allowing its approval) in exchange for the Popular Party's support for the reform of the text.The deputy for MÉS per Mallorca and Més per Menorca in Congress, Vicenç Vidal, has positively assessed the approval of the reform. In a statement, he stressed that the measure has very broad support on the island: "There is enormous consensus in Formentera on the need to have its own voice in the Senate." According to him, this decision.