The PSOE redoubles the pressure on Susana Díaz with the advance of the federal committee to July 3

Juan Espadas and Susana Díaz on June 13 at the headquarters of the PSOE of Andalusia after the victory of the mayor of Seville in the primaries for the Junta.PACO PUENTES

Ferraz's patience with Susana Díaz has run out after the invitations, on multiple fronts throughout the past week, to resign as general secretary of the PSOE of Andalusia. The federal committee, the highest organ of the socialists between congresses, is advancing to July 3, two weeks before the scheduled date, with the intention at the socialist headquarters to expand the margin of maneuver available to it and redouble the pressure on the loser of the primaries to the presidency of the Board. The federal committee has to formally convene the federal congress in mid-October in Valencia,But in Ferraz they contemplate the possibility of going further and introducing the advance of the primaries to elect Díaz's replacement on the agenda - on June 13 he already announced that he would not run for re-election - without having to wait until the end of year, when regional congresses are scheduled. At the meeting, no explanations were given of the reasons for advancing the federal committee, according to those attending the meeting. This same Monday, the Andalusian Socialists have restructured their group in Parliament and have vacated the presidency in a meeting that Díaz has not attended.the Andalusian Socialists have restructured their group in Parliament and have vacated the presidency at a meeting that Díaz has not attended.the Andalusian Socialists have restructured their group in Parliament and have vacated the presidency at a meeting that Díaz has not attended.

The reform of the statutes in the federal congress of 2017 prevents a manager from propitiating the end of the mandate of Díaz, who has led the Andalusian PSOE since 2013. For Ferraz to constitute a manager, the former president of the Board has to resign before. The option to advance the regional congress does not seem easy either. The regulation of the federal statutes establishes in the sixth additional provision, relative to the order of holding congresses, that “henceforth and after the 40th ordinary federal congress, the order of holding the party congresses will be as follows: federal, regional or of nationality, provincial or insular, regional, municipal (of a big city, where appropriate) and district ”. The congresses would be held within a period of less than 90 days after the federal one.One possibility is that Ferraz clings to the third additional provision: "The federal ethics and guarantees commission will be the competent body for the interpretation and clarification of the federal statutes and these regulations."

The fear that the Andalusian president, Juan Manuel Moreno Bonilla, will call an electoral advance in autumn is one of the factors behind the urgency of the federal leadership to see the succession in its main federation take place as soon as possible. The sources consulted do not hide their concern about how long the match would be in that scenario, with a bicephaly with Díaz starting and the leadership of Juan Espadas on the rise after his victory in the first round and by 16 points in the primaries at the Council.

The pressure for Díaz to step back has even come from some of the main barons of the PSOE, who appeal to the forcefulness of the result and urge a succession as quickly as possible.

One of the destinations that Díaz has been offered is a position of senator by autonomous designation.

Espadas has asked Díaz - this Monday they have returned to maintain contact - to also leave the act of deputy in the Andalusian Parliament.

The executive of the Andalusian federation this Monday, which has been delayed in view of the events, had planned to approve the changes in the parliamentary group to adapt them to the strategy of "constructive opposition" that Espadas wants to develop for the remainder of the legislature.

Changes in the socialist group in the Andalusian Parliament

While the pressure on Díaz intensifies, the permanent commission of the executive of the PSOE of Andalusia has approved this Monday, as planned and unanimously, the changes in the leadership of the socialist group in the Andalusian Parliament. The meeting was not yet attended by the secretary general according to socialist sources, but her

number two

and secretary of Organization, Juan Cornejo, did.

The change in the parliamentary group has been the main priority of the candidate for the presidency of the Junta de Andalucía. The mayor of Seville also wanted that, from this week, when a new plenary session is scheduled, it should be seen that there is a new leadership in the main opposition party in the Andalusian Chamber and whose spokesperson from now on will be the deputy for Jaén Ángeles Férriz, who has been the coordinator of the Espadas campaign in the primaries. Férriz will ask the question to the president of the Board in the control session on aid to Andalusian city councils for the covid. Espadas is scheduled to meet with Juan Manuel Moreno on Thursday.

Several members of the executive have taken the floor to thank the work carried out by the previous spokesperson, José Fiscal, and the deputies Rodrigo Sánchez Haro and Manuel Jiménez Barrios.

In the end, the president of the Andalusian PSOE, Micaela Navarro, mentioned the unity of the PSOE with a metaphor.

"We are all links in the same chain, no matter which link is the most important, what matters is being and feeling part of that chain," he said, according to socialist sources.

Espadas addressed these appointments last Friday with Susana Díaz and they agreed to meet again to discuss the "transition process" in the PSOE.

For the federal leadership and for the Espadas team, this process involves the resignation of Susana Díaz as general secretary, a step that has not yet been taken.

In addition to Férriz, the deputies María Márquez (Huelva), Araceli Maese (Cádiz) and Gerardo Sánchez (Granada) will occupy the deputy spokespersons. The Cordovan Soledad Pérez (Córdoba), who supported the general secretary, will be the secretary of the parliamentary group. The presidency of this body, held by Díaz, remains vacant.