The shape chosen by CKD, GNP, EH Bildu, together, PDECat, the CUP and the BNG to defend a bill that would allow the use of co-official languages in Congress has been, precisely, to speak those languages. The Catalan, the Basque and the Galician have been heard this Tuesday from the tribune of the Lower House. Although not much. The Vice President of Congress, Alfonso Rodríguez Gómez de Celis, has withdrawn the floor to Montserrat Bassa (CKD), Miriam Nogueras (Together), Albert Botran (CUP) and Nestor Rego (BNG) for not using Spanish, as usual. “Simply, so that others can understand it,” he argued over and over again, before the deaf ears of the speakers who insisted on claiming his right to use the co-official language of their territories.
Bassa has been the first to go up to the platform of the Congress and after a few first words in Spanish she has started her speech in Catalan. On three occasions, Rodríguez Gómez de Celis has withdrawn her word, calling her to order. “So that everyone can understand you, I beg you to continue with the norm, to use Spanish,” she has repeated on several occasions. But she Bassa has continued in Catalan until, at her third notice, they have withdrawn her word. Even with the microphones turned off, she has tried to continue her speech on several occasions, speaking with Rodríguez Gómez de Celis and remaining silent, with her hands on her hips, before the Hemicycle.
The next to go up, the spokesperson for Junts, Miriam Nogueras, has also been called to order. In his case, twice. And throughout the debate, first, Nestor Rego and then, Alberto Botran (CUP) have received the same treatment. The PDECat spokesman, Ferran Bel, has avoided the reproaches of the presidency of the Congress offering his speech in Catalan and Spanish, practically in a simultaneous translation. A strategy followed by the PNV deputy, Joseba Andoni Aguirretxea and the spokesperson for EH Bildu, Mertxe Aizpurua.
The proposal
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The proposal they defended to allow the use of co-official languages was presented a few weeks ago by United We Can, ERC, Bildu, Compromís, Junts, PDeCAT, PNV, BNG, Más País and the CUP. In total, more than 70 deputies. However, the absolute rejection from the beginning of PP, Vox and Cs, to which the confirmed ‘no’ of the PSOE has been added this Tuesday, will prevent the norm from being processed in Congress.
The purples, together with all the partners of the coalition government, propose in the text to modify the Regulations of Congress, in its article 6, so that the right to make interventions in the Plenary or in the commissions in any of the the co-official languages of the state: Catalan, Galician or Basque. In addition, they proposed that a simultaneous translation service into Spanish be guaranteed. The same would happen with the writings, which could be registered in any of the languages and would later be translated.