Sánchez booed again at the October 12 parade in Madrid.

MadridIt's practically a tradition that the military parade on October 12th is preceded by a whistle for the Spanish president, Pedro Sánchez, who is in charge of welcoming Felipe VI at the ceremony. This year, it was the same again, although it could barely be heard from a distance from Madrid's Plaza Neptuno, where the dignitaries' gallery was moved a few years ago. Previously, it was located on Paseo de la Castellana, with the public much closer, and the booing was more evident. The event proceeded normally and without the incidents of other years: the parachutist carried the Spanish flag, which was raised in the presence of the king. Five aircraft from the Mirlo Formation flew over the central part of the event, creating a smoke screen of the red and yellow colors, and immediately afterward, the parade itself began.

At two minutes to 11 a.m., Sánchez arrived and greeted the president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, who was also a member of the delegation receiving the royal family, along with the Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, and the mayor of Madrid, José Luis Mar. In the main tribune, apart from the members of the Spanish government and the royal family - with Leonor dressed in an air force uniform -, the presidents of the Congress and the Senate, Francina Armengol and Pedro Rollán, as well as the presidents of the General Council of the Judiciary, Isabel Perelló, and of the Constitutional Court, were also present. The magistrate, who is approaching the end of his term with the amnesty pending application to the leaders of the ProcessIt was a good time talking with the Ministers of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, and the Minister of Justice, Félix Bolaños, as well as with the President of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa.

Illa is attending the events on October 12th for the second consecutive year. He has already made it a regular occurrence at events of this type, as part of his strategy to return Catalonia to the institutionality of the State. "Coexistence means recognizing and guaranteeing the plurality and diversity of Spain, its territories, and its languages. At a time like this, of such profound changes, we must protect this Spain of everyone and emphasize what unites us," he told X.

He returned to political activity a few days ago after a heart transplant. The presidents of the Generalitat Valenciana, Carlos Mazón, and the president of the Balearic Islands, Marga Prohens, were absent due to the disease. Alice, as well as that of Murcia, Fernando López Miras. Nor is the Lehendakari, Imanol Pradales, as usual.

Abascal's absence

However, the most notable absence was that of Vox leader Santiago Abascal. The far-right party's president thus snubbed Felipe VI—the king is hosting the military parade and the subsequent reception at the Royal Palace—with the argument that Pedro Sánchez uses these activities to "whitewash his corruption," and that he will watch the military parade from the street. Abascal thus distances himself from the PP at a time when electoral polls are being published at a frenetic pace in the media, with Vox increasingly edging closer to the PP. It is no longer uncommon for the far-right party to distance itself from institutions, even from Felipe VI, as when it was critical of his speech on Gaza at the United Nations assembly.

With Abascal's absence, the only representatives in the Congressional speakers' gallery were the two-party system (and the Canary Islands Coalition), as no representatives from Sumar, Esquerra, Junts, EH Bildu, PNV, Podemos, BNG, Compromís, or Més per Mallorca were present. In fact, the only Sumar members were the second vice president, Yolanda Díaz, and the Minister of Culture, Ernest Urtasun.