Spain: PM Rajoy Willing To Reform Constitution, But National Sovereignty Must Be Protected

Spain’s Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy took part in the events to commemorate Constitution Day, held on Wednesday, December 6, in the Lower House of Parliament. In a statement to the media, he highlighted that the Constitution remains fully in force, “a constitution which all of the people of Spain can feel proud of.”

Rajoy said that the 1978 Constitution “guarantees our rights, our liberties, asserts the equality of all Spaniards, social cohesion and, above all, is a constitution that speaks about democracy and the main principles and values that are the hallmark of the great constitutions of our peer countries; this is a constitution that speaks of the rule of law, legal certainty and national sovereignty, and hence, of the right of all the people of Spain to decide on what they want their country to be.”

In this regard, Rajoy highlighted that “the Constitution, as has been made clear recently, can defend itself when it comes under attack from political leaders, as has occurred this year, when, for the first time in its history, a fully constitutional and democratic article – Article 155 – has been invoked”. The Prime Minister pointed out that this article exists in all our peer countries and “is only used in exceptional circumstances when the rules that govern our co-existence come under attack.”

As regards a potential reform of the constitutional text, Rajoy recalled that it has already been amended on two occasions, “when there was a clear idea of what needed to be done”, and it can be revised in the future “provided that the aim is not to appease those who want to abolish the Constitution and who have stated that they are not willing to comply with it. In that case, there will be no reform of the Constitution under any circumstance.”

Rajoy insisted that he is willing to talk about a revision of the Constitution, but made it clear that he will not accept, under any circumstance, the break-up of national sovereignty. “Whatever Spain is to be will be decided upon by the Spanish people, not just part of them”. Furthermore, the President of the Government considers it is fundamental that any reform of the Constitution should be carried out “with a widespread consensus, as happened in 1978.”