Spanish centre-right accuses Ribera of ‘electoral fraud’

4 months ago 22

The parliament spokesman of Spain’s centre-right Partido Popular (PP/EPP), Miguel Tellado, on Wednesday accused the ruling Socialist Party’s (PSOE/S&D) lead candidate and Minister for Ecological Transition, Teresa Ribera, of having committed an alleged “fraud” by not taking her seat as an MEP.

Ribera previously confirmed she would not take up her seat as an MEP in Brussels, noting that this was her plan from the beginning and telling the Spanish parliament that “there has been no concealment of any kind in this respect” after she was questioned on the matter by Tellado, EFE reported.

This led to insults, with the PP’s spokesman saying, “I thank her for the sincerity with which she has recognised that she is a real electoral fraud,” as he called on Ribera to move to Brussels and “leave Spain in peace.”

For her part, Ribera responded that the real “fraud” lies in “[the PP] not having a programme either for Europe or for Spain”.

Partido Popular, currently the main opposition party, won the EU elections in Spain with 22 seats (34.2%), followed by the PSOE with 20 seats (30.2%) and the far-right VOX party with six seats (9.6%).

Ribera reiterated that before the campaign for the EU elections, she had made clear that she would run as PSOE’s lead candidate but that, if elected, she would not seek a seat in the European Parliament.

She even cited as an example Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her Fratelli d’Italia party (ECR).

Ribera is a potential candidate for a portfolio in Ursula von der Leyen’s future European Commission, with circles in Madrid predicting she could take over the Climate or Energy portfolios.

(Fernando Heller | EuroEFE.Euractiv.es)