Anabel Díez
Madrid 12 MAR 2019 - 12:13 CET
The Central Electoral Board (JEC) on Monday required the president of the Government of Catalonia, Quim Torra, to order within 48 hours the immediate withdrawal of pro-independence flags and yellow ribbons that can be found in any public building dependent of the Govern.
According to
the JEC, both symbols can be "legitimately used by the political parties
in their electoral propaganda but not by the public powers since they must
maintain a rigorous political neutrality". In a meeting of more than six
hours, the magistrates and professors who make up the Board, highlighted that
"the yellow ribbon and the pro-independence flag are partisan symbols used by
electoral groups participating in the elections". By way of description they
notice that "the yellow ribbon has been used to remind of leaders or
candidates belonging to political parties that are in a situation of preventive
detention".
In the
interests of equality of suffrage, "the law entrusts the electoral
administration with preserving it and prohibits the public powers -which are at
the service of all citizens- from taking sides in elections". To which it
should be added that the ideological and expression freedoms are fundamental
rights of the people, not of the rulers, so that citizens can exercise them
without any restrictions other than those imposed by respect for the rights of
others", the resolution argues. The Generalitat may now appeal this
decision by filing a contentious-administrative appeal before the Third Chamber
of the Supreme Court within two months from the date of its notification.
Citizens
on Wednesday gave a deadline of one day to the Government to withdraw the
yellow bows because they consider that
the presence of these symbols violated the principle of institutional
neutrality in the election period. Alfred Bosch, Minister of Foreign Affairs of
the Generalitat, replied that they would not do it and argued that the
exhibition of ribbons and banners is covered by the fundamental right to freedom
of expression. One day later, the group of Inés Arrimadas filed a complaint
with the Central Electoral Board.
This decision
is not the first time to be adopted. In the last Catalan elections, in December
2017, the electoral board of Barcelona already adopted the same measure and
forced several municipalities of the province to remove yellow ribbons from their
buildings and to remove banners, which contained slogans such as "Freedom to
political prisoners".
Before, there
was also a pronouncement on the
placement of pro-independence banners. The Supreme
Court said in 2016 that it is a "partisan" banner that represents
only "a part of the Catalan citizens represented by part of the political
parties". And, therefore, the magistrates concluded that their exhibition
in public buildings violates the requirement of "neutrality" of
these, especially in the electoral period.
"Citizens
have done what Sanchez's government does not do: to denounce the seizure of
public spaces by nationalism before the Electoral Board". Torra maintains
the separatist propaganda in the buildings while Sánchez looks the other way
round. The JEC has supported our position”, "Inés Arrimadas, leader of
Citizens in Catalonia, celebrated this Monday after knowing about the decision.
https://elpais.com/politica/2019/03/11/actualidad/1552330301_965901.html
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