The first vice president and minister of Finance regains a seat in the Cortes Generales after being appointed by the Andalusian PSOE as a regional senator.
The first vice president of the Government and minister of Finance, María Jesús Montero, will once again have parliamentary presence in Madrid. The Andalusian PSOE has included her in its shortlist of candidates for senators by regional appointment, a move that will allow her to return to the Cortes Generales after having resigned her position as a deputy last February.
The decision was made at the Regional Executive of the party on July 3 and was subsequently ratified by the Director Committee, as confirmed by socialist sources. The deadline to register the proposal in the Andalusian Parliament expires this Monday, July 20, and the final vote is scheduled for the Plenary on Thursday, July 23.
A seat in the Senate for Montero
With this move, Montero will occupy the position previously held by the senator from Málaga, Víctor González Fernández, who will leave the Upper House. The first vice president will thus join a group of Andalusian socialist senators that already includes the former president of the Junta, Susana Díaz, and the former secretary general, Juan Espadas. The three will coincide in the Upper House representing the PSOE-A.
Montero's return to national politics from the Senate will allow her to intervene in sessions of control over the Government and maintain parliamentary presence in Madrid while continuing to lead the opposition to Juanma Moreno's Executive in Andalusia. The vice president was elected secretary general of the Andalusian PSOE last February with the aim of revitalising the party in the community.
The Senate, a stage for political confrontation
The Upper House has gained special relevance in this legislature due to the absolute majority of the Popular Party, which uses control sessions to confront the Executive directly. Montero's presence will allow the Government to have one of its most politically weighty leaders to respond to the opposition from that institution as well.
Montero's designation as a regional senator strengthens the political profile of the Andalusian socialist delegation in the Senate, where three of the most relevant figures of the party in the community will coincide: the current secretary general and her two predecessors at the helm of the PSOE-A. The change does not alter the balance of power among the groups, but it does elevate the level of socialist representation.
Distribution of senators by regional appointment
The PSOE has three seats in the quota of regional senators thanks to its 28 seats in the Andalusian Parliament. The PP, with 52 seats, has five, although it has ceded one to Vox (15 representatives). The proposal is expected to go ahead without surprises, as the distribution is carried out proportionally to the representation of each parliamentary group.
The vote in the Plenary of the Andalusian Parliament is set for July 23. Once ratified, Montero will be able to combine her work as minister and vice president with her seat in the Senate, a dual role she has already demonstrated she can handle with ease since her time as an Andalusian councillor and later in Sánchez's Government.
You may also like
