The upper house of the Spanish parliament has approved sweeping changes to its regulations, taking advantage of Partido Popular (PP)’s absolute majority. The reforms affect several key aspects of Senate operations, including time limits for government members’ speeches and the procedure for reviewing bills submitted from Congress.
From now on, ministers invited to control sessions will face strict time limits: their main speech is capped at 40 minutes, while follow-up responses are limited to 15 and 10 minutes, respectively. Previously, there were no such limits, which often resulted in protracted debates and reduced parliamentary efficiency.
One of the most debated changes is the new power for the Senate to appeal to the Constitutional Court (Tribunal Constitucional) if the lower house—the Congress of Deputies—delays consideration of bills approved by the Senate without just cause. Now, if an initiative is unjustifiably stalled, the Senate can launch a conflict of authority procedure, potentially triggering a review at the country’s highest legal level.
Another important change concerns the involvement of judges and magistrates in parliamentary investigations. Under the new rules, representatives of the judiciary are no longer required to appear before investigation commissions—a move that has sparked mixed reactions among senators.
Language issue and political disagreements
The reform has sparked a wave of criticism from most opposition parties. The issue of expanding the use of regional languages—Basque, Catalan, and Galician—was particularly contentious. Representatives of the autonomous communities insisted on a wider use of their languages in the Senate’s work, but their proposals were not taken into consideration. This led to accusations against the PP of ignoring the country’s linguistic diversity and even of “linguistic discrimination.”
At the same time, representatives of right-wing parties, particularly Vox, expressed concerns that extending language rights would lead to additional expenses and complicate communication between senators. In response, advocates of linguistic diversity stressed that multilingualism is part of Spain’s cultural wealth and restricting it is unacceptable.
Political repercussions and party reactions
The decision on the reform was made without the consent of most factions. Socialists and other opposition forces accused the PP of using its numerical advantage to push through the changes without dialogue or seeking compromise. Nevertheless, none of the opposition parties submitted official amendments to the reform text.
Intra-parliamentary debates over the new rules are likely to continue even after they come into effect. The changes are expected to influence the dynamics of the legislative process and may strengthen the Senate’s role in the country’s political system. The new regulations will officially take effect after they are published in the official state bulletin.
