Zapatero's figure strains the debate in Congress: "He is a whitewasher of the Chavista tyranny"
Albares counters that it was Trump, not the Spanish government, who put Delcy Rodríguez in charge of Venezuela.
MadridVenezuela is part of Spanish politics, not only because of the thousands of Venezuelans living in the country—especially in Madrid—but also because, beyond Gaza, it is one of the debates that most strains the parliamentary spectrum. This was evident once again this Thursday in the Congress of Deputies with the extraordinary appearance of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, who explained his policy regarding the Venezuelan situation and defended not only Spain's role as a "bridge" with the country but also the role of the former Spanish president as mediator, despite criticism from the right and far right throughout the discussion.
It is no secret that the former Spanish president is on the right targetBut this Thursday they escalated their rhetoric even further. "Zapatero is a whitewasher of the Chavista tyranny, a facilitator of the birth of prisoners, and he has specialized in the trafficking of political prisoners," declared PP spokesperson Cayetana Álvarez de Toledo. While the Spanish government—through Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares—has defended the former Spanish president's role in the release of Venezuelan political prisoners—who recently arrived in Spain—the PP and Vox have accused him of being in the service of the dictatorship. While the debate was taking place in Congress, the PP leader, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, took advantage of the situation. to meet with the opposition leader exiled in Spain, Edmundo González.
"Do you want to know what the Venezuelan opposition thinks of Zapatero? Do you know what María Corina Machado thinks?" he challenged Álvarez de Toledo. "Delcy Rodríguez has referred to Zapatero as my prince"He added. In turn, Pepa Millán, spokesperson for Vox, also accused him of collaborating with the dictatorial regime. In fact, she demanded explanations from the minister about another case that is in court, with Venezuelan ties: the bailout of Plus Ultra by the Spanish government. "Did he pressure Zapatero for the bailout?" she asked. It was the Socialist spokesperson, Patxi López, who accused them of being completely clueless. He emphasized that it has been under Pedro Sánchez's government that more Venezuelan exiles have arrived, more than during Mariano Rajoy's government. A fact that the leader of ERC in Madrid, Gabriel Rufián, took advantage of to ask the PSOE to reflect: "They have been applying tailor-made legislation for this Venezuelan opposition for years."
Foreign or domestic policy?
The chamber has been ideologically divided between right and left, while Junts has remained neutral. "It is true to say that Trump is violating international law and that Venezuela is a dictatorship," said Marta Madrenas, who at some points in her speech accused the national parties of having a "double standard" regarding the "repression" of the independence movement. The PP and Vox parties defended Donald Trump and his intervention in Venezuela; while the Spanish government emphasized the "danger" posed by the United States' violation of international law and called for strengthening the European Union to be able to operate in the new international context. "Don't you have anything to say about Greenland?" asked the minister, defending its right to choose to be part of Denmark and the EU. "Everything is connected," Albares repeated on more than one occasion, while also advocating for a transition and dialogue among Venezuelans to bring about democracy.
The left wing of the PSOE, in turn, has accused the minister of "cowardice": Rufián criticized him for not speaking about Maduro's "kidnapping," while Podemos demanded he break off relations and "isolate" the United States. "Cowardice is not staying to listen," Albares retorted to the leader of Esquerra, who was absent during his speech—the session lasted four hours.
Although it was a debate on foreign policy, all the parties accused each other of using international politics according to their national interests. For Pepa Millán, what the Spanish government has done in the conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza, and Venezuela is try to mobilize "the extreme left" in the face of its falling poll numbers, while for Patxi López, the right constantly uses "the ETA and Venezuela trump card" to try to weaken Pedro Sánchez. Polarization governs all the debates in Congress.
