Rubalcaba gets Congress room despite PP opposition

A room beside Spain’s Congress chamber in Madrid takes the name of Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba on 20 October 2026, despite opposition from the conservative People’s Party (PP). At the naming ceremony, Congress president Francina Armengol honours the former Socialist minister, who died in 2019. The room was previously known as the press room because journalists used it.

The tribute falls on the 15th anniversary of the end of ETA, which came while Rubalcaba was interior minister. Armengol praised his ability to bring people together and urged politicians to follow his example. A plaque in the room will remember him as a key figure in Spain’s democracy.

Rubalcaba’s widow, Pilar Goya, welcomed the choice of a room linked to the press. She said he had wanted the public to understand the work of parliament, and has given some of his awards from the Association of Parliamentary Journalists for display there. Members of the Congress governing board from the Socialist Party (PSOE) and Sumar backed the naming; the PP voted against it, calling the tribute partisan.

Topics: Politics

Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com