Balearic Parliament president suspended

THE secretary of Podemos, Pablo Echenique announced on November 7 that action has been taken to suspend the president (speaker) of the Balearic Parliament Xelo Huertas and her deputy Montserrat Seijas from the party following allegations by unidentified members of Podemos in the Balearics that she had abused her position by assisting a colleague Daniel Bachiller, who is also suspended, to obtain funding for a laboratory.

The Palma born president is not amused by this decision which she believes is politically motivated as part of an internal struggle within the party and has indicated that she is quite content to resign her position, although she would expect to remain within the parliament itself.

The allegations suggest that the three had threatened to withhold their votes of approval for the 2017 budget unless a grant was given to Bachiller in order for him to open a new laboratory which is denied and there currently appears to be no involvement of the police, simply a decision made by the party head office.