Conservative judge Carlos Lesmes elected to head up legal watchdog
CGPJ members vote in new president by 16 votes to four
The conservative judge Carlos Lesmes has been chosen as the new president of the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ) legal watchdog and the Supreme Court.
The 20 judges who make up the body that oversees and organizes the Spanish judiciary followed script by voting in Lesmes, casting 16 votes in his favor on Monday morning. His only rival, the progressive judge Pilar Teso, obtained four votes.
The new president is expected to take up his position on Thursday, after which he will propose his nomination for Supreme Court vice president. This could be his rival Teso, but he is also free to propose other names.
The 20 new members of the CGPJ, whose names were agreed upon by political groups last month, are entering a newly overhauled organization. They took up their posts last Wednesday when they held their first full meeting and chose Lesmes and Teso as the only presidential candidates.
