The Attorney General overshadows Franco on the anniversary of November 20th in Congress

MadridÁlvaro García Ortiz overshadowed Francisco Franco on the 50th anniversary of his death. The day, marked in red on the Spanish government's calendar to commemorate the arrival of democracy, was marred by the Supreme Court's conviction of the Attorney General. Amid accusations from the right of having degraded Spanish democracy and calls for his resignation, Pedro Sánchez went to Congress to celebrate the end of the Franco regime. "Democracy is a privilege that we must defend every day," the Spanish president proclaimed at the presentation, coinciding with November 20th, of the series Anatomy of a Moment (Movistar+), based on Javier Cercas' book about the 23-F coup attempt and filmed in the lower house of parliament. Amid the media frenzy surrounding the decision of the five conservative judges, Sánchez has made a point of attending the screening of the first episode of this production.

Surrounded by actors, members of the audiovisual platform, members of parliament from the plurinational majority, and other guests who lived through the vicissitudes of the Transition, such as Manuela Carmena, the former mayor of Madrid and labor lawyer who survived the Atocha massacre of 1977, Sánchez watched a reenactment of the attempted coup of February 23, 1981. Cercas thanked him for making time to be there despite "the dogfights that they've done to him lately," referring to the nickname of Perro Sánchez The phrase used to describe the socialist leader, and who knows, perhaps even García Ortiz's disqualification. With this expression, the writer made the Spanish president laugh despite the tense atmosphere created by the condemnation. "Was he able to concentrate?" some of those attending the event wondered.

He made no comments either upon entering or leaving, although his remarks during the presentation were interpreted in light of current events. His praise for the work of the press and his warning that democracy has never ceased to be "threatened"—by dangers such as "disinformation campaigns" or "abuses of power"—were seen as a nod to the testimony of the journalists who exonerated the Attorney General during the trial and which the Supreme Court overturned. "The truth is not leaked, it is defended," García Ortiz emphasized in his statement, another element of the oral proceedings that was recalled, in hushed tones, by some members of the audience when Cercas, for his part, reaffirmed his years-long search for the "truth" of February 23rd and asked Sánchez to declassify everything he can.

Sánchez, the Transition, and the Tightrope Walk

“We need a majority,” Sánchez responded regarding the official secrets law, admitting that this is not an “easy” legislature to achieve one. Although the Spanish president left as soon as the presentation ended and did not stay for a second event held in Congress on November 20th, he may have identified with some of its messages. “Balance: the state of a body that, despite having little base of support, remains upright without falling,” read one of the artists who portrayed him in the chamber. As she read the definition of a word that could describe what Sánchez has had to do in the last two years due to the fragility of his parliamentary support and setbacks like those suffered this Thursday, the artist was literally balancing on a structure placed in front of the seats.

Separately, the words of some of the members of parliament who also had to walk a tightrope during the Transition, spoken by actors, have resonated in the chamber. Excerpts from speeches by Miquel Roca, Santiago Carrillo, and Adolfo Suárez were read from the parliamentary debates that led to the approval of the Constitution—speeches that bear little resemblance to the current polarization that, once again, has overshadowed what Francina Armengol, Speaker of the Lower House, described as "an important day for Congress and for the people."