As a think tank serving society as a whole, Círculo de Empresarios has a duty to warn of the historic drift of our country towards the erosion of ethical, social and economic standards. Over the past 45 years, Spain has achieved the most outstanding progress in terms of politics and social and economic welfare in its history, strengthening the democratic commitments taken on with the 1978 Constitution, which enshrined the Rule of Law, Parliamentary Monarchy and the separation of powers. Nevertheless, we currently run the risk that our country will transition from full democracy to democracy in name only.
The agreements reached between the Socialist candidate for the Presidency of the Government and the leaders of a number of political groups that self-declare as anti-constitutionalist, represent an egregious attack upon the separation of powers and have the capacity to lead to the effective abasement of the rule of law and the end of our prosperity as a nation.
Whilst some of these agreements, such as the amnesty, directly impinge upon the fundamental rights of Spanish citizens as set out in our Constitution, upon the sovereignty of the Spanish people and upon the principle of equality before the law, others violate the principles of solidarity among citizens.
Other measures agreed will gravely impact coexistence and severely condition future decisions regarding expenditure, investment, residence and tax domicile, undermining our economy. A key element in carrying out business activities, namely legal certainty, is being called into question.
It is important to point out the unprecedented unanimity between judges and magistrates, a wide range of associations and even historic leaders of the Socialist party that have voiced their opposition to these agreements, the content of which even contradicts the statements of current leaders prior to the most recent general election.
In democracy, not everything goes. Many Spaniards will now have to legitimately defend our rights using every legal tool within reach.