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Arrimadas says goodbye as president of Ciudadanos: "Mistakes have to be assumed in the first person and that's how I do it"

2023-01-14T13:21:08.264Z


The leader leaves her position before the 500 assistants who participate in the general assembly of the party. Ciudadanos adds the dark green color to its new corporate image


Excited, self-critical and confident in the future.

The outgoing president of Cs, Inés Arrimadas, said goodbye this Saturday before the 500 members of the party, including delegates and senior officials, who have met this weekend in Madrid in the general assembly, to embrace the new stage that is opening with the refounding of Ciudadanos.

A conclave in which Arrimadas has said goodbye to her two years as leader of the formation.

“I apologize for any mistakes that may have been made.

Mistakes have to be assumed in the first person and that's how I do it”, the outgoing president acknowledged in a speech that lasted around half an hour.

After the "last words" of her as head of the party, the new executive has come on stage.

Among them, Patricia Guasp and Adrián Vázquez, elected as political spokesperson and general secretary,

Arrimadas's speech has revolved around the management that his team has carried out during the last two years, in which the party had to face the march of Albert Rivera, who resigned after the electoral debacle of the general elections in November 2019, in which Cs went from 57 to 10 seats in just six months.

"I want to thank and acknowledge Albert Rivera", added the leader.

A crisis that the integrated leadership led by Arrimadas, appointed as president in March 2020 by defeating Francisco Igea in primaries, has not been able to overcome.

This has been a critical period for Ciudadanos, marked by successive blows at the polls, such as in the regional elections in Madrid, Castilla y León and Andalusia.

“This can be traced.

Getting it only depends on ourselves.

The last disaster, the Andalusian one, in which Cs was erased from the autonomous Parliament after having formed part of the coalition government with the PP, accelerated the refoundation process.

An attempt to renew the party the party that started in July and that culminates with this general assembly, in which the new statutes will be ratified.

“I want to thank all the members of the extended and permanent executive.

I come to thank you for the experiences, for the hopes, for the people that you have allowed me to meet”, continued Arrimadas, who received various applause and was promptly moved.

At the end of the speech, the leader came down from the stage and hugged the members of her outgoing executive one by one.

Among the positions of the leadership that this Saturday leave the address was the parliamentary spokesman,

Edmundo Bal, sitting next to her while a video about the president's work was projected and with which she only gave two warm kisses when she greeted the rest with a hug.

“The affiliates have spoken clearly.

Now it is time for all of us to support each other to carry out this project ”, the outgoing president asserted in her address.

Edmundo Bal and Inés Arrimadas, during the act.FERNANDO ALVARADO (EFE)

Since mid-October, Arrimadas and Bal have waged an open war over the remnants of the formation.

This struggle has led to a tough battle in the primaries, in which the spokesperson has been defeated by a 14% margin over the winning candidacy, that of Guasp and Vázquez.

The winning list was the one supported by Arrimadas.

For the deputy, who insists that this is "the Arrimadas list", this difference implies that the new leadership has to assume that a great majority of the bases ask for "a change" and demands that part of their demands be integrated into the Citizens leaving the general assembly.

“It never crossed my mind that I was more important than this game.

Never”, Arrimadas stated.

“Not in the best moments, not even when we won.

No one is ever that important.

This game is more important than us."

Arrimadas loses all executive and organic powers, but the new executive has confirmed that she will remain as parliamentary spokesperson in Congress.

“Now you give me another assignment, which is to continue as a spokesperson, and I will do it giving my best.

There is no greater honor than representing you in Congress", the outgoing president thanked on the podium, who also praised the abilities of the leaders who, since this Saturday, have been entrusted with the difficult task of getting Ciudadanos out of the quagmire.

The outgoing president has also taken advantage of her farewell to send a message to the rest of the parties.

The left that she governs are the antithesis of progressivism.

Don't be fooled, other parties don't want other proposals.

They don't even want our political assets.

they only want our votes”, Arrimadas has maintained.

Color change

Cs already has its image change ready for the new stage that opens with the newly elected management team.

As EL PAÍS announced at the end of November, the intention of the refounding team was to keep the Ciudadanos name, but to incorporate some new features into its brand.

Among them, add one or more colors to orange.

Finally, as this newspaper has learned from various sources and confirmed by the management team, the color chosen is dark green.

The party celebrates this weekend a general assembly in which about 400 delegates and another hundred senior officials of Cs participate.

The outgoing president, Inés Arrimadas, will say goodbye to her family at noon this Saturday with a speech.

Source: elparis

All news articles on 2023-01-14

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