Politics intrude into rainy National Day celebrations

Armengol and other PSOE representatives as well as Partido Popular and Ciudadanos politicians attended the National Day parade. Politicians from various other parties did not. There was no representation by leaders of Podemos. Pablo Iglesias, its general secretary, and Iñigo Errejón and Ramón Espinar, respectively the party's spokespeople in Congress and the Senate, all declined invitations. Other left-wing parties did not send anyone, while the presidents of Catalonia, the Basque Country and Navarre all stayed away, which is usual.

The National Day is an occasion when republican and nationalist politicians "make statements" in opposing the monarchy and the notion of the Spanish nation. The town hall of Badalona in Barcelona province was open to the public today. This was in defiance of a court ruling that it should be closed for the day.

King Felipe and Queen Letizia together with their children presided over the military parade, an unusual occasion in that it was the first time it had taken place with a government operating in an acting capacity. There was also no leader from PSOE. Following the resignation of Pedro Sánchez, PSOE has yet to elect a new permanent leader. Javier Fernández attended in his capacity as president of Asturias.

The parade in Madrid involved the participation of 3,400 members of the armed forces and the Guardia Civil. Heavy rain in the capital meant that there were fewer planes and helicopters in the fly past. Sixty had been scheduled, but only half of them took part.