MADRID, 17 Feb. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The reform of article 49 of the Constitution, which regulates the rights of people with disabilities, came into force this Saturday, after its publication in the Official State Gazette (BOE).
The new wording of this provision, which has led to the replacement of the term “handicapped” by “people with disabilities”, was definitively approved on January 25 by the Senate, but 15 days had to be allowed to pass in case any parliamentary group requested that was submitted to a referendum.
This reform establishes that people with disabilities exercise the rights provided for in Title I “in conditions of real and effective freedom and equality.” Furthermore, “the special protection necessary for said exercise will be regulated by law.”
To this end, public powers will “promote policies that guarantee” their “full personal autonomy and social inclusion, in universally accessible environments.”
King Felipe VI sanctioned the constitutional reform last Thursday after it was endorsed by the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez. The sanctioning ceremony took place at the La Zarzuela Palace, which was also attended by the president of the Congress of Deputies, Francina Armengol; and the presidents of the Senate, Pedro Rollán; the Constitutional Court, Cándido Conde-Pumpido; and the president of the General Council of the Judiciary by substitute, Vicente Guilarte.
This is the first social reform of the Magna Carta, which required approval by a three-fifths majority of the deputies, and which disability entities have been demanding for 20 years. During his time in both Chambers, he received the support of all parliamentary groups except Vox.
The reform proposal was processed through the emergency procedure, as agreed by Sánchez and the leader of the Popular Party (PP), Alberto Núñez Feijóo, at the end of 2023.
This is the third modification of the Constitution since its approval in 1978. The first constitutional reform took place in 1992 and consisted of adding, in article 13.2, the expression “and passive” referring to the exercise of the right to vote by foreigners in elections. municipal. The second dates back to 2011 and affected article 135, which was modified to introduce the principle of budget stability. Neither was submitted to a referendum.
