Congress will be able to expel far-right agitators: a reform of the regulations is on the way.
The PP and Vox have distanced themselves from an initiative that includes sanctions for accredited journalists who disrupt the work of journalists.
MadridWithout the PP and Vox, the rest of the parties in Congress have agreed to promote a bill against far-right agitators who disrupt the day-to-day running of the lower house. Basically, it concerns State of Alarm TV members Vito Quiles and Bertrand N'Dongo, who have accumulated several episodes in which they have distorted the activities of politicians and journalists. PSOE, Sumar, ERC, Junts, EH Bildu, PNV, Podemos, BNG, and Coalición Canaria will register a reform to the Congress regulations that provides for the loss of accreditation, its suspension, or non-renewal in the event of behavior like that constantly perpetrated by these agitators in the corridors of Congress.
"Disrupting the order of press conferences or other meetings of members of the chamber with representatives of the media" will be considered a serious offense. Committing serious infractions twice will be considered very serious and will result in sanctions of "the suspension of the credential for between three months and five years or, where appropriate, the permanent revocation of the credential. Very serious infractions also include "behavior that seriously harms the activities of the chamber or the work of other parliamentarians and access areas." These are behaviors that Quiles and N'Dongo engage in every day, so if they continue in this vein, they will risk expulsion from Congress. A representative from each parliamentary group and also from journalists' associations will be formed. The law must go through the entire process, including a period for amendments, until its approval. Once in force, the committee may require accredited journalists to commit to abiding by the new provisions established in the regulations. Failure to do so will result in the loss of their credentials.
Renewal of Accreditations
Once the law is approved, the committee will have three months to establish criteria for granting and renewing credentials. These requirements will address the "need to respect the right to truthful information and the proper functioning of the chamber." "Among the criteria for renewing credentials, the existence of previous violations will always be taken into account," the bill states. This would also be a way to prevent the renewal of accreditation for far-right agitators.
