It's a "democratic anomaly" that king Felipe VI "should see himself forced" to meet representatives of pro-independence parties, according to the leader of far-right party Vox, Santiago Abascal. The king today met him in the second day of talks with representatives of the different parties in the Spanish Congress. Abascal was speaking to the media at the Congress, after his meeting at the Zarzuela Palace. He lamented the fact the state had no mechanism to stop the meeting and praised the king's controversial speech on 3rd October 2017.
"It's a democratic anomaly that His Majesty the King should have to meet deputies who haven't sworn [allegiance to] the Constitution," he said. "Similarly, we lament the democratic anomaly that should force him to receive parties who have acted like criminal organisations," he continued.
Abascal said he had communicated to the king his "loyalty to the crown" and his "gratitude for his speech on 3rd October, a historical speech to stop the progress of the coup d'état in Catalonia". As for the topic of the meeting, telling the king of who his party would be prepared to vote for as prime minister, he said they would oppose Pedro Sánchez's candidacy. That said, they would support plans to "restore the constitutional order in Catalonia" by resuspending devolved government.