La verificación de poderes en la elaboración y vigencia de la Constitución de 1812

La verificacion de poderes como constatacion de que cada uno de los miembros de una Asamblea posee un mandato regular e inatacable, fue competencia exclusiva del Parlamento en todas nuestras Constituciones historicas. Es la Constitucion de 1978 —en su articulo 70.2— la que judicializa los conflictos de actas electorales, ante el convencimiento de que el Parlamento a lo largo de su historia ha demostrado cumplidamente su incapacidad, como organo fundamentalmente politico, de tomar una decision judicial imparcial que garantice a las minorias un tratamiento juridico adecuado. La verificacion de poderes fue, sin embargo, una institucion con un profundo sentido historico. Su crisis es paralela a la superacion de las estructuras politicas del Estado liberal, que se vertebran esencialmente en torno a la quiebra de la soberania parlamentaria y a la subsiguiente concepcion del Parlamento como poder constituido sometido a la Norma fundamental como un organo del Estado. Y es en la etapa de elaboracion y vigencia de la Constitucion de 1812, en la que surgen los criterios que defienden el control electoral como competencia exclusiva del Parlamento. Por tanto, en este trabajo se aborda, no solo la regulacion establecida en la Constitucion de 1812 y la practica parlamentaria derivada de la misma, sino los momentos anteriores a la reunion de Cortes, en donde se plasma de forma directa el duro enfrentamiento entre los partidarios del Antiguo Regimen y los que defienden la instauracion de un nuevo sistema politico. La concepcion, y posterior decision, sobre el titular de la verificacion de los poderes, y su contenido, va a resultar determinante. Desde el inicio del regimen constitucional, el Congreso se considera superior a toda norma y a toda critica: no es un tribunal aplicando la ley, sino un cuerpo politico decidiendo, con absoluta libertad, con criterios politicos. Las verificaciones realizadas responden a este pensamiento y, dentro de el, son adecuadas y coherentes: sobre la ley e, incluso, sobre la misma Constitucion, hay un organismo superior cuya decision puede subsanar cualquier eleccion ilegal o admitir a cualquier electo incapaz, si existe un interes politico que lo reclame. The verification of credentials, to check that each of the members of Parliament enjoy a proper and unobjectionable mandate, used to be an exclusive competence of Parliament in all our Constitutions. However, the Constitution of 1978 —in its Article 70(2)— commissions the judicial power to settle the conflicts on electoral mandates. The reason for this is the conviction that Parliament has shown along history its incapacity, as a mainly political institution, to make an impartial judicial decision which guarantees minorities an adequate legal treatment. The verification of credentials was, however, an institution with a deep historical sense. Its crisis coincides with the overcoming of the political structures of liberal State, which are closely bound to the breakdown of parliamentary sovereignty and to the thus emerging concept of Parliament as a constituted power bound by the fundamental Norm, as an institution of the State. It was during the phase of elaboration and implementation of the Constitution of 1812 when the criteria that settle the electoral control as an exclusive competence of Parliament arose. For this reason, this article deals not only with the regulation established in the Constitution of 1812 and the parliamentary practice which derives from it, but also the previous moments to the meeting of the Cortes, describing the hard confrontation between the supporters of the Old Regime and the people in favour of establishing a new political system. A fundamental factor was the concept and posterior decision on the institution or power entitled to verify the powers and their contents. From the beginning of the constitutional regime, the Congress regards itself as superior to any norm and to any criticism: it is not a court applying the law, but a political body deciding with an absolute freedom with political criteria. The verifications performed respond to this conception, being accurate and coherent from this point of view: Above the law and, even, over the Constitution, there is a superior body which decision can repair any illegal election or accept any unfit elected person if a political interest demands it.