Spain's PP asks Supreme Court to force ministers to testify in Senate on Ceuta crisis
The Partido Popular filed an urgent appeal with the Supreme Court on 20 August 2026, seeking to compel three Spanish cabinet ministers to appear before Senate committees before September.
Supreme Court appeal filed
Spain's Partido Popular filed a contentious-administrative appeal before the Supreme Court on 20 August 2026, challenging the refusal of government ministers to appear in the Senate regarding the Ceuta migration crisis. The PP, which holds an absolute majority in the Senate, requested urgent interim measures without a prior government hearing. The filing asks the court to compel the executive to establish ministerial availability within 24 hours and ensure appearances before 1 September 2026, when the regular parliamentary session opens. PP leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo announced the legal step on 19 August during a visit to Ceuta alongside the city's president, Juan Jesús Vivas.
We have found ourselves obliged to turn to the Supreme Court so that the Supreme Court tells us whether the ministers of the Government of Spain can refuse to appear in the territorial Chamber and not report on what happened in Ceuta. The Government cannot decide in which Chamber it appears, nor when it does so, nor under what conditions it accepts being held accountable.
Sequence of committee absences
The legal action follows four instances where cabinet members declined Senate committee summonses. Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska failed to attend the Senate Interior Commission on 20 August, marking his second absence in a single week. Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares and Defense Minister Margarita Robles also declined invitations to their respective Senate committees. The session on 20 August lasted under 20 minutes, attended only by PP and Vox representatives. Senate Interior Commission president Fernando Martínez-Maíllo described the absences as a deliberate breach of constitutional duty.
A minister does not choose a la carte which Chamber to account to, it is a constitutional obligation.
- More than 70,000 individuals cross the border into Ceuta
- Rafael Simancas asks the Senate to cancel committee summonses
- Alberto Núñez Feijóo announces Supreme Court legal action from Ceuta
- PP files appeal after Fernando Grande-Marlaska misses a second Senate hearing
- Seven government ministers are scheduled to appear before Congress
- Spain's ordinary parliamentary session begins
Government defense and Congress scheduling
Secretary of State for Relations with the Cortes Rafael Simancas had previously written to the Senate requesting the cancellation of the sessions. Simancas argued that the committees created unnecessary duplication without adequate preparation time, noting that up to seven ministers are scheduled to address the Congress of Deputies between 25 and 28 August 2026. Minister for Digital Transformation Óscar López defended the executive during an interview on TVE, stating that Pedro Sánchez has appeared before parliament more times than previous prime ministers and accusing the PP of distorting parliamentary rules.
It is a disgrace and gives second-hand embarrassment what Feijóo is doing with the Senate.
Dispute over parliamentary control
The parliamentary conflict stems from the border events of 30 and 31 July 2026, during which more than 70,000 individuals entered the autonomous city of Ceuta. The PP argues that voluntary appearances in the lower house cannot replace oversight by the Senate, emphasizing that the upper house is not subordinate to Congress. Sources from the PP indicated that the party does not rule out taking the matter to the Constitutional Court if necessary, though it selected the Supreme Court route for immediate action before September.
