Marchena resigns from continuing in office as head of the Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court and his place will be taken by the conservative candidate

Judge Manuel Marchena will not continue to serve as head of the Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court as of next December 5, when his second term as head of the most delicate Chamber of the high court expires, the one that judges those with jurisdiction and through which major corruption cases occur. This was conveyed this Tuesday to the Permanent Commission of the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ), whose members must soon elect their successor in a designation that is expected to be complicated by the opposing positions between the conservative and progressive blocs.

In the event of a vacancy, the law of the Judiciary establishes that the presidents of the Chambers will be replaced by the magistrate with the best position in the hierarchy of the Chamber or section in question. In this case, it is Judge Andrés Martínez Arrieta, from the Francisco de Vitoria Judicial Association (AJFV), which defines itself as independent. It so happens that Martínez Arrieta is the preferred candidate of the conservative sector of the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ) to replace Marchena.

The confirmation that Marchena resigns from continuing in that acting position comes amid growing tension around his succession. Two candidates have been presented for that position: the aforementioned Martínez Arrieta and Ana Ferrer, affiliated with the progressive Juezas y Jueces para la Democracia (JJpD), and who is the favorite candidate of the progressive group of the CGPJ, where they wield, in addition to their curriculum, that this position should be occupied by a woman to comply with the parity criterion established by the new regulations approved by the Government.

The Equality Commission of the governing body of the judges approved a report last week in which it explains that, to comply with this standard, at least two of the four chamber presidencies of the Supreme Court pending renewal must be awarded to women to that, for the first time, the composition of one of the highest echelons of the judicial pyramid is equal.

The discrepancy between conservatives and progressives anticipates a situation of blockade like the one that was already experienced with the election of the presidency of the body last summer. These appointments require 13 votes, which means adding support from both wings of the CGPJ, which is completely divided in half, with 10 appointed at the proposal of the PSOE and Sumar and another 10 at the initiative of the PP plus the president, Isabel Perelló.