There is a lot of anticipation at 15 Alcalá Street in Madrid. It is not because of the housing rights protest camp at Puerta del Sol, which is just a few meters away, but because the president of the Constitutional Court (TC), Cándido Conde-Pumpido, is speaking there, just the week before the TC is set to issue the first ruling in favor of granting protection and, therefore, amnesty to the leaders of the 'Procés'. He is participating in an informative breakfast organized by Nueva Economía Fórum, which has drawn a lot of media attention, but there are few political authorities in the room. Only three magistrates from the Constitutional Court—the vice president, Inmaculada Montalbán; Ramón Sáez Valcárcel, and the former Minister of Justice Juan Carlos Campo, all three considered part of the progressive bloc—and the delegate of the Spanish government in Madrid, Francisco Martín, who is a regular at these types of meetings.

With the permission of the Ceuta crisis and the demands for the right to housing, the Constitutional Court is once again on the front page of political news. Next week it will approve the ruling that contradicts the Supreme Court's criteria regarding the amnesty law and will impose on the high court that it apply the pardon to the embezzlement attributed to the October 1st referendum. The proposal drafted by the president of the Constitutional Court, Cándido Conde-Pumpido, regarding Dolors Bassa's appeal directly orders the high court to backtrack and "declare amnestied" the crime of embezzlement in a "preferential and urgent" manner. Why was it so explicit? "From what I have read, at times the Supreme Court itself has stated that it would take into consideration the Constitutional Court's doctrine provided that the Constitutional Court had established a clear and precise doctrine. Therefore, we want to establish a clear and precise doctrine," argued Cándido Conde-Pumpido at a breakfast organized by Nueva Economía Fórum.

The president of the Constitutional Court, Cándido Conde-Pumpido, fundamentally amends the Supreme Court's refusal to apply the amnesty law and considers that pardoning the embezzlement attributed to the October 1 referendum is "the only conclusion reconcilable" with the "rules of logic and common sense" and with an interpretation of the amnesty that "attends to its spirit and purpose" and its "own genesis." This is reflected in the report he has prepared, to which ARA has had access, regarding the appeal for constitutional protection (recurso de amparo) by Dolors Bassa, who was Minister of Labor, Social Affairs and Families during the October 1 referendum and is disqualified until 2031. The text argues that the "interpretation sponsored" by the Supreme Court was "clearly expansive," "opposed" to the "purpose and spirit" of the law and "contrary to the defendant," and establishes that Dolors Bassa's rights to effective judicial protection, to access public functions and positions, and to criminal legality were violated.

The decision of Carles Puigdemont's defense to recuse three judges of the Constitutional Court (TC) The Constitutional Court (TC) had already predicted a delay in the timeframe for deciding on the amnesty for the former president of the Generalitat. This Thursday, the president of the Constitutional Court (TC), Cándido Conde-Pumpido, confirmed this at a luncheon with journalists. "It will be difficult for them to be resolved before Christmas," he said regarding the appeals for protection of constitutional rights by both Puigdemont and former ministers Toni Comín and Lluís Puig. Conde-Pumpido attributed this "delay" of at least a month compared to the initially planned timeframe—the TC expected to admit them for processing in early September, but will finally do so in next week's plenary session—to the court's decision to try to remove conservative judges José María Macías, Enrique Arnaldo, and Concepción Espejel.

The Constitutional Court is seeking legitimacy three months before it issues a ruling on the amnesty. And the court's president, Cándido Conde-Pumpido, asserted his position this Monday in an unusual format: invited by the Ateneo de Madrid, he gave a speech and took questions from journalists to say that "questioning the Constitutional Court is questioning the Constitution and the democratic system." Conde-Pumpido's idea is for the ruling on the PP's appeal to arrive before the summer, a "reasonable" timeframe, he said, given that the law came into force in July 2024. Thus, the Constitutional Court would rule a year later.