Judge José Luis Calama has issued a ruling granting the Popular Party the legal leadership of the popular prosecution in the case against former president José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero. The former president's defense has expressed agreement with the magistrate's decision, which aims to unify the stance and requests for evidence from the various involved organizations.

In addition to the PP, organizations such as Vox, Manos Limpias, HazteOír, Iustitia Europa, Liberum, and Ciudadanos will be part of the popular prosecution. The Partido Valores and a private lawyer have also joined. The involvement of former judge Fernando Presencia has been rejected.

The judge explained that while the Supreme Court prioritizes the first party to join the proceedings (in this case, Vox), that party did not meet the necessary procedural requirements. The PP was the second to join and fully complied with legal demands by submitting all required procedural documents for valid participation.

Calama considered the "institutional and social representativeness" of the entities, highlighting their presence in the Cortes Generales as an expression of democratic legitimacy derived from citizen suffrage. He believes the Popular Party has a "more relevant institutional presence" and "greater capacity to project the general interest," making it suitable for the joint legal direction.

The PP's lawyer has been given two days to ratify and harmonize the submissions made by the various popular accusations, aiming for coherence and avoiding duplication or contradictions. These submissions already anticipate evidence to be presented and potential precautionary measures against Zapatero, whose testimony is scheduled for June 17 and 18.