The Venice Commission, the Council of Europe's advisory body on constitutional law, published a report this Monday criticizing Spain for its election model for the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ). Currently, it considers that Spain is exposed to external politicization—due to the influence of the Spanish Parliament—and internal politicization—due to the role of judicial associations—which jeopardizes judicial independence.

The plenary session of the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ) has unanimously decided not to recognize the strike called by judges and prosecutors announced by five associations—all except the progressive ones—for next week. Thursday's agreement warns the organizers that the strike has no "legislative support" because the right to strike is not regulated for judges. Therefore, it concludes that "it is not appropriate to announce it," and recalls that it had already issued similar statements regarding the strikes called in 2009, 2012, and 2013. The organizing associations have criticized the decision and have already announced that they will continue the strike, which they consider "a legitimate, proportionate, and responsible measure."

Negotiations are at a standstill, but the president of the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ), Isabel Perelló, is making moves to try to unblock the election of Manuel Marchena's replacement as president of the second chamber of the Supreme Court, the criminal chamber. The president of the court on October 1st left office when his term ended last December, and since then the acting president of the Supreme Court's criminal chamber is Andrés Martínez Arrieta, the most senior member, who is retiring in two years. He is the preferred candidate of the conservative bloc, and his rival is Ana Ferrer, the candidate promoted by the progressive group that He disagrees with the vast majority of his colleagues regarding the application of the amnesty..