PSOE in Melilla rejects Spanish status of Ceuta and Melilla
The PSOE in Melilla votes against a declaration affirming that Ceuta and Melilla are Spanish, while Coalición por Melilla backs it.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
PSOE in Melilla rejects Spanish status of Ceuta and Melilla
The PSOE in Melilla has just made a political blunder of the first order. Or maybe not: the party argues that the institutional declaration stating that Ceuta and Melilla are Spanish was a pointless act of confrontation. The official justification leaves no room for nuance: the matter of national sovereignty "must not become a tool of political confrontation." Critics translate it instantly: the Spanish identity of the two cities is an awkward subject best left unspoken.
The vote has left the PSOE in an unusual position. Coalición por Melilla, a localist party, supported the declaration; the Melilla branch of the PSOE did not. On a matter of national sovereignty, the socialist party has ended up to the right of a regional party. That detail is no small thing for a city that has always seen itself as a bastion of Spanish identity.
The reaction has been harsh. The move has been called intolerable, and some have read it as a nod to pro-Segarro positions. In trying to dodge confrontation, the PSOE has generated exactly the confrontation it claimed it wanted to avoid.
Will there be an electoral cost? Experience suggests socialist voters tend to stick with the party despite gestures like this. But in Melilla the murmur of discontent is hard to silence. We shall see whether the next declaration finds more support. Or whether the ballot boxes deliver their verdict.
The PSOE in Melilla has just made a political blunder of the first order. Or maybe not: the party argues that the institutional declaration stating that Ceuta and Melilla are Spanish was a pointless act of confrontation. The official justification leaves no room for nuance: the matter of national sovereignty "must not become a tool of political confrontation." Critics translate it instantly: the Spanish identity of the two cities is an awkward subject best left unspoken.
The vote has left the PSOE in an unusual position. Coalición por Melilla, a localist party, supported the declaration; the Melilla branch of the PSOE did not. On a matter of national sovereignty, the socialist party has ended up to the right of a regional party. That detail is no small thing for a city that has always seen itself as a bastion of Spanish identity.
The reaction has been harsh. The move has been called intolerable, and some have read it as a nod to pro-Segarro positions. In trying to dodge confrontation, the PSOE has generated exactly the confrontation it claimed it wanted to avoid.
Will there be an electoral cost? Experience suggests socialist voters tend to stick with the party despite gestures like this. But in Melilla the murmur of discontent is hard to silence. We shall see whether the next declaration finds more support. Or whether the ballot boxes deliver their verdict.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (28 replies).
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