Spain’s Supreme Court president resigns amid ‘institutional disaster’ fueled by political deadlock

By Alyssa McMurtry

OVIEDO, Spain (AA) - The head of Spain’s Supreme Court submitted his resignation on Monday in protest over four years of political deadlock that have frozen the highest levels of the country’s legal system.

“Staying in this post would only serve to turn me into an accomplice to a situation that I abhor,” said Carlos Lesmes in a video announcing his resignation.

“[I’m stepping down] out of respect for Spanish judges, who legitimately hope that the people who represent them do not remain passive when faced with a situation that seriously compromises the prestige and proper functioning of the entire justice system.”

Lesmes resigned from his posts as president of both Spain’s Supreme Court and the General Council for the Judiciary (CGPJ).

The CGPJ is Spain’s most senior judicial body, governing all Spain’s courts and judges. But it has gone nearly four years with only caretaker powers because the country’s politicians have not been able to agree on renewing the body.

For appointments to pass, three-fifths of lawmakers in both chambers of the Spanish government must agree.

After Lesmes announced his resignation, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez held an emergency three-hour meeting with opposition leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo.

After the session, both sides said they would give the negotiations to renew the CGPJ “one last try.”

But neither the conservative opposition nor Spain’s government said they had changed their positions surrounding the future of the governing body.

Spain’s opposition is still demanding to reform how members of the CGPJ are elected before agreeing to renew the judges.

In September, Vice President of the European Commission Vera Jourova visited Spain to discuss the issue.

In a public letter, he urged politicians to first renew the body and then think about reforming processes “so that the Spanish judiciary recovers its full institutional normality and can thus carry out properly the essential democratic tasks it is responsible for.”

Given that the CGPJ only has interim powers, experts say the body may not even have the legal powers to appoint a new president to substitute Lesmes.

His resignation will take effect the day after it is published in Spain’s official state gazette.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court released a statement saying it supported Lesme’s move to quit amid the “unprecedented situation” that is “harming the image of Spain’s judiciary and seriously affecting the Spanish Constitution.”

“An immediate end to this institutional disaster is required,” it said.