Spanish Congress permanently revokes press credentials of EDATV commentator Vito Quiles

Permanent expulsion from Congress

The Bureau of the Congress of Deputies resolved on Tuesday, 22 September 2026, to permanently revoke the parliamentary press credentials of EDATV contributor Vito Quiles. The governing body determined that Quiles committed three very serious infractions regarding the professional conduct standards established for journalists operating inside the lower house. This measure represents the first time the parliamentary Bureau has applied the maximum sanction available under the revised chamber rules. The decision concludes a series of disciplinary procedures instructed by the chamber administration with the explicit endorsement of the parliamentary legal counsel. The autonomous worker had previously operated inside the chamber under temporary suspensions before the final expulsion order was delivered.

March infractions and accumulated sanctions

The ruling against Quiles is grounded in three specific disciplinary cases stemming from incidents recorded on 17, 25, and 26 March 2026. Two of these proceedings addressed the dissemination on social networks of unauthorised video footage recorded within restricted areas of the parliamentary premises, in direct violation of chamber rules. The third case penalised the active obstruction and disruption of an official press conference held in the lower house. Because Quiles had accumulated over ten prior sanctions since the implementation of the new code of conduct, these repeated violations were formally elevated to very serious infractions. In May 2026, the chamber had already ordered a precautionary withdrawal of his accreditation alongside a three-month suspension for previous altercations, followed by an additional one-month suspension issued in July 2026.

Parliamentary vote and procedural timeline

The expulsion was approved through the joint governing majority of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) and Sumar on the Bureau. Representatives of the People's Party (PP) abstained from the vote. Both the PP and Vox had previously voted against the July 2025 regulatory reform that established the code of conduct to maintain civility and protect the working environment for journalists inside the institution. That revised regulation serves as the legal foundation permitting the instruction and execution of sanctions against accredited individuals. The legal dossiers for the March infractions reached completion in late August 2026, prompting the Bureau to grant Quiles a final administrative window to submit defensive arguments. Parliamentary sources confirmed that Quiles chose not to lodge any formal appeal or written statement before the deadline expired.

Reactions and companion cases

Rather than submitting formal appeals through parliamentary administrative channels, Quiles addressed the disciplinary measures in videos published across his personal social media accounts. In those recordings, he displayed stacks of official paperwork received from the legislature over the summer months and rejected the authority of the governing body.

They can go to hell, they are not going to kick me out.

The disciplinary framework has simultaneously been applied to commentator Bertrand Ndongo, who also remains under temporary suspension from lower house press activities. Ndongo received a formal sanction in July 2026 after interrupting a Sumar press conference on 25 November 2025 and engaging in a shouting match with the parliamentary group's press coordinators. The Bureau continues to process several other open disciplinary files regarding Ndongo that await formal resolution.