The Mayor of Seville, José Luis Sanz, assured this Tuesday that the licence for the Islamic cultural centre in Polígono Sur was granted to avoid misconduct, following Vox's threat to withdraw its support for the municipal government.
The Mayor of Seville, José Luis Sanz (PP), responded this Tuesday to Vox's decision to question its support for the municipal government after Urbanism granted a construction licence to the Mezquita Foundation to build an Islamic cultural centre in Polígono Sur. During a media briefing, Sanz was emphatic: "I have never engaged in misconduct and I will not do so," in response to the criticisms from the right-wing party.
Vox, in a previous press conference, had described the granting of the licence as a "turning point" in its relationship with the PP and stated that trust with the government team "has been severely broken," to the extent that "it is practically unsustainable to support the Popular Party government." However, the mayor downplayed the threat and reminded that the agreement between both parties is limited to the approval of the municipal budgets, not to a government or coalition pact.
"I understand that one cannot trust someone who does not respect the law; I do not understand why one would not trust someone who respects the law 100%," Sanz stated, defending that the licence was granted after receiving the approval of the legal reports from Urbanism technicians. "We also could not have delayed that construction licence, as that would also be misconduct," he added.
The mayor emphasised that the budget agreement, which has allowed the approval of two municipal accounts, "has not found any point regarding the consensus on the construction licences granted by the City Council and nothing related to any mosque." According to Sanz, it is a "public and transparent" agreement that has been fulfilled "to the letter" and has resulted in "positive things for the city."
When asked about the possibility of Vox presenting a legal report against the licence, Sanz lamented that the party has not yet done so, despite claiming to have a document prepared by the Technical Commission of the Management. "Does Vox intend for the Urbanism delegate to engage in misconduct?" the mayor questioned, insisting that "ideology is not above legality, neither in the City Council of Seville nor anywhere else."
The mayor also appealed to the Constitution, which in its Article 16 recognises freedom of worship, and ironically addressed Vox: "When you govern in Madrid, if you ever do, consider changing, among other things, this Constitution." Sanz stressed that "it could be the first political agreement in the history of our democracy to be broken for complying with the law."
To illustrate religious coexistence in the city, Sanz recalled that there are 14 mosques in Seville, and 35 in the entire province. Some of them are located in the same area of Polígono Sur, and he mentioned a mosque located on Ponce de León street, next to the church of Los Terceros and the Brotherhood House of the Cena, "wall to wall," an example of "coexistence and diversity" that the city has enjoyed for years, marked by its Jewish, Christian, and Muslim character.
Finally, when asked about Vox's request to cancel the monitoring table of the pact, scheduled for this Wednesday, Sanz downplayed the matter and responded in a relaxed tone: "I think the best thing we can do now is all go on holiday."
However, the political crisis leaves the stability of the municipal government in question, which depends on Vox's support to pass the budgets. For now, the mayor is confident that the agreement will be maintained, although he made it clear that he is not willing to "engage in misconduct" to please his partner.
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