At Tuesday's session of the Balearic Parliament, the Partido Popular will be proposing a ban on the wearing of the burka in public spaces.
A measure which the PP say is "sensible", it has caused a spat between the parties on the right, Vox having accused the PP of copying their proposal. Vox spokesperson Manuela Cañadas said on Monday that the PP had rejected this proposal. The PP point out that this was for the niqab and not the burka.
Sebastià Sagreras of the PP has called on all-party support for their motion urging the Spanish Government to prohibit the burka. "Respect for equality between women and men is an essential part of integration in our society," he said on Monday. The proposal addresses practices "profoundly contrary to constitutional values and the basic principles of a democratic society".
The PP are unlikely to obtain full support. Vox have said they will back it, but the spokesperson for Més, Lluis Apesteguia, said the motion boiled down to whether the PP or Vox are "the more fascist". Even if parliament passes the motion, it will have no direct legal effect, as it is a request to the Spanish Government.
The Muslim community in the Balearics believes the motion is more of an opinion poll rather than real policy. The secretary of the community, Josep Nur Bió, said on Monday that the burka is rarely seen in Spain. "I fear the burka isn't the issue. These kinds of initiatives are a way of testing the waters."
Vox have meanwhile submitted motions at three town halls in Mallorca - Felanitx, Manacor and Sa Pobla - for prohibiting entry to municipal buildings to women wearing any form of face covering. Més in Sa Pobla have responded to this by highlighting 2011 local ordinance in respect of the burka and face coverings that was introduced when the PP ran the town hall. "Fifteen years later, the balance is clear and that is that no file has been opened or any incident has been detected, a fact which shows that legislation was passed on a problem that did not exist."