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Boycotts and Reform Calls Mark Spain's Constitution Day Ceremony

Notable absences by Vox and nationalist groups underscored deep divisions over the meaning and future of the 1978 charter.

Overview

  • Spain held the traditional flag-raising and military honors outside Congress, presided over by the heads of the Cortes and the chief of the Defence Staff before the indoor commemoration.
  • Congress president Francina Armengol urged updating the Constitution to reflect Spain’s territorial diversity and to include new rights, citing last year’s Article 49 change and Europe’s influence.
  • Vox declined to attend any official acts, with its spokesperson Pepa Millán saying the government uses such events to project an image the party rejects.
  • Pedro Sánchez called for fulfilling the Constitution to advance equality and strong public services, while Alberto Núñez Feijóo cast the PP as the guarantor of the text and criticized the government’s record.
  • PNV’s Maribel Vaquero pressed for recognition of “the nations of the State,” as Junts, ERC, EH Bildu, PNV and BNG also skipped the ceremony, highlighting the polarized landscape.