The PP criticizes that the BOE speaks of “national emergency” when the Government does not want to raise the level by the DANA. Thus, PP and PSOE clash in their versions as a result of the text of the second decree of aid after the flood published this November 12 in the bulletin: those of Alberto Núñez Feijóo believe that the Government assumes “explicitly” that the DANA should be treated as a national emergency and those of Pedro Sánchez reply that when they speak of “national emergency” they refer to “any emergency that occurs in the national territory”. and that “to interpret it in another sense would lead to the consideration that the National Police participates only in emergencies qualified as of national interest”.
According to the Popular Party, with this term the Government seeks to shield the deputy operational director (DAO) of the National Police, trusted by Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska, and delay his retirement. For this reason, they branded as “incomprehensible” that the national emergency has not been decreed as Feijóo has requested “from minute one” to manage this unprecedented catastrophe with all the resources of the State and attend to all the needs of the victims.
“The Executive has used politically the greatest national tragedy that Spain remembers through the royal decree published today in the BOE with urgent measures for the promotion of the immediate response plan, reconstruction and revival against the damage caused by the DANA,” say popular sources.
While ehe PP assures that Sanchez “uses” an aid decree to “guarantee” the permanence of a police commander. The Government counters his story. Moncloa sources argue that the reference to national emergency included in the explanatory statement of the decree “does not try to establish a qualification of the type of emergency in question, but refers to any emergency that occurs in the national territory for which the mobilization or contribution of human or material resources coming from the general state administration, such as the National Police, is requested”. In addition, interpreting it in another sense “would lead to the consideration that the National Police only participates in emergencies qualified as of national interest”, they justify.
They also deny that the intention of the Government is to protect the high office of Marlaska and explain why this reference to national emergency is indicated in the explanatory memorandum of the aid decree. As they explain, “it is not qualifying the seriousness or type of emergency that has recently occurred in Valencia”, but “refers to the convenience of to avoid the possibility of the dismissal due to age of the deputy operational director”. when the same could be directing or supervising the deployment of the National Police in any type of emergency occurring in the national territory”.