Xelo Huertas (left) and Montse Seijas, both expelled by Podemos.

Xelo Huertas (left) and Montse Seijas, both expelled by Podemos. | Joan Torres

Majorca Daily Bulletin reporterPalma05/12/2016 00:00
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Xelo Huertas, the president (speaker) of the Balearic parliament has been expelled from Podemos by the party's committee of guarantees. Montse Seijas, a Podemos member of parliament, has also been expelled, as has Daniel Bachiller, a leading figure with Podemos in the Balearics but not a member of parliament.

All three have the right to appeal the decision, which follows their initial suspension from the party. This arose because of support by Huertas and Seijas for the research work of Bachiller and therefore continued funding to be included in the Balearic budget for next year. The allegations against Huertas, which have now led to her expulsion, are that she was seeking to influence the budget as a favour to Bachiller.

It now seems almost certain that she will have to step down from her post as speaker. The secretary-general of Podemos in the Balearics, Alberto Jarabo, said last month that he had consulted with parliament's legal advisors and that they had told him that Huertas would have to resign if she was expelled.

Any final decision on her future will depend on the outcome of an appeal, which has to be lodged within seven days. Montse Seijas said today that she will appeal. "If they want to expel me, then let them. But do not invent lies. They want rid of me because I am critical and an annoyance. They'll use my expulsion in order to frighten others into not speaking."