Degree scandal puts pressure on PM and opposition leader

The controversy surrounding the university qualifications of politicians in Spain, which claimed the scalp of the head of Madrid’s regional government, Cristina Cifuentes, in April, has ended a second political career, with the resignation of Minister of Health Carmen Montón last Tuesday.

The controversy, which revolves around accusations of alleged ‘favourable treatment’ of politicians by universities, is also continuing to put both Leader of the Opposition Pablo Casado and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez under pressure to answer questions being raised about their qualifications.

Montón, who faced accusations that she had plagiarised her thesis, had resisted calls for her resignation when it was first suggested that there were ‘irregularities’ in her masters degree and then that marks had been altered a posteriori in her favour.

But she eventually resigned when the television channel La Sexta revealed that “a good part” of her thesis had been copied from sources such as Wikipedia and other authors. While a number of issues remain to be clarified, Montón maintained in her departure speech: “I have been transparent and honest. I have not committed any irregularity. [My] conscience is clear.”

The so called ‘fake masters’ case in April 2018 contributed to the fall of the PP (Partido Popular, a conservative party) in the Community of Madrid, then to the PP losing a motion of confidence at national level and finally a change of government from the PP to the PSOE (a socialist party) in June.

Casado, the national leader of the PP, initially told the Spanish national newspaper El Pais that he “couldn’t recall attending classes and the exams”. Last week he argued that his course, which he undertook at Universidad Rey Juan Carlos (URJC) – the same university as Carmen Montón – was different to that of Montón.

Further he argued that, unlike Montón, he had “no personal relationship” with the director of the masters, which he says has been confirmed by emails between them.

Public prosecutor investigates

The Public Prosecutor, Carmen Rodríguez-Medel, who was involved in the Cifuentes case, has ordered Casado to hand over the computer on which he supposedly wrote the four essays to pass the four subjects he needed to complete his course. He has so far not done so and has refused to comment on a possible formal accusation by the Supreme Court of Spain over the case, or a possible resignation.

Casado has said that, unlike Montón, he did not need to submit an ‘End of Masters’ thesis because he was doing a pre-doctorate course, which in the end he chose not to finish.

He argues that in any case, other issues in Spain are more urgent. "The important thing is that the resignation of this minister joins the minister of culture [PSOE minister, Màxim Huerta, was forced to resign because of alleged tax fraud within a week of being appointed], what is happening in Catalonia, the economic slowdown, the issue of Navarre and the Basque Country. Spain should not be talking about things to do with a doctorate from 10 years ago."

"I have been [talking about this issue] for five months now,” he continued. “I did it in a press conference that made me delay an official trip to Bogotá [last August, when he attended the inauguration of the new president of Colombia, Iván Duque] and that was to be the last explanation that I was going to give on this topic," he said. “I'm very calm, I have not changed what I said in the beginning," he added.

The department where both Casado and Montón did their course, the Instituto de Derecho Público (Institute of Public Law) of URJC, has now closed.

The PSOE Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchéz, has come under growing pressure from the Citizens party to make his doctoral thesis public. Unlike many other doctorates, Sanchéz’s thesis is not available online but only at the university, Universidad Camilo José Cela.

Today so many people sought to see and read the thesis, entitled "Innovaciones de la Diplomacia Económica Española: Análisis del Sector Público (2000-2012)", which is available at the university campus on the outskirts of Madrid, that the university had to say it was no longer available and that they would have to return another day.

According to Alberto Rivera, the leader of the (centre-right) Citizens party, the prime minister’s thesis should be published and made publicly available because there are “reasonable doubts” and it is necessary to “finish with those suspicions”.

Cifuentes resigned in April after the online newspaper, eldiario.es, revealed that she had not attended classes or written a dissertation to complete her masters at URJC. She denied any wrongdoing.