He Minister of Economy, Carlos Cuerpowill appear before Congress on Wednesday to announce the person he will appoint at the head of the Bank of Spain, an appointment that does not necessarily have to be made by the Council of Ministers and which could be published in the Official State Gazette (BOE) as of Thursday.
The Government has been negotiating with the PP for months who will replace the former governor Pablo Hernandez de Coswhose mandate expired on June 10, and Deputy Governor Margarita Delgado – now acting governor – who will leave her post on September 10.
From the negotiations with the PP, the current proposal has emerged Minister for Digital Transformation and Public Service, José Luis Escrivárejected by the Popular Party on the grounds that those who have held political responsibility in the last five years should not be in charge of independent institutions.
Cuerpo was interviewed on Monday on Cuatro, where he refused to reveal a name that will be announced on Wednesday and that will be “at the same level as the previous governor or even above”, which will guarantee that the institution “will be in very good hands”.
He Deputy Secretary of Economy of the PP, Juan Bravo, He reiterated on Monday that only an “independent” governor will reach an agreement with the Government and that there will be no agreement if the proposal is to “move from one ministry seat to another.”
“When we know what the Government’s proposal is and whether it maintains or not a certain position, then the Popular Party will make the decision. Obviously we are not here to exchange cards,” said Bravo.
PP sources have acknowledged that at this time they are not aware of any other name than Escrivá and have added that if the Government opts for the current minister, it will be without the support of the PP.
In his opinion, a former minister has “never” been chosen to lead the Bank of Spain, which is an entity that must operate autonomously. “He wants to do with Escrivá what he did with Dolores Delgado And it will not happen with our support,” the same sources stressed, referring to the appointment of the former Minister of Justice as Attorney General of the State.
In this context, PP sources believe that the Government does not want the support of their party to appoint the governor of the Bank of Spain because if they wanted it, they would make another proposal. What is more, they believe that they are seeking to “distance” themselves from the PP after the agreement to renew the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ) by opting for a profile that they know they will not support.
Gamarra already made it clear weeks ago
The Secretary General of the PP, Cuca Gamarrawho had been the negotiator with the Government on this matter, already stated this August that the Government “knows perfectly well” what the PP’s position is, and that it will not accept that the Council of Ministers be moved to “occupy any type of responsibility in any organisation that has to be a counter-power to the Government of Spain”.
According to Gamarra, the key to democratic regeneration is precisely to avoid these transfers from the Government to the supervisory bodies. For this reason, he made clear his refusal to accept Escrivá as governor: “Under no circumstances.”
September 11th deadline
The appointment of the new governor must be made before September 11, when the mandate of the current deputy governor, Margarita Delgado, who has assumed the functions on an interim basis, ends.
Body will appear on Wednesday, September 4, at 3:00 p.m., in the Economic Commission of Congress, according to the parliamentary agenda of the chamber.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Industry and Tourism, Jordi Hereu, has refused to confirm in Santander whether there will be a government crisis this week following the possible appointment of Escrivá, although he has acknowledged that “there will surely be news.”