The former deputy and leader of the Drago Project, Alberto Rodríguez, during an interview last October in Fasnia (Santa Cruz de Tenerife). RAFA AVERO
Proyecto Drago, the space promoted by the former
number three
of Podemos Alberto Rodríguez, joins the party alliance of Más País.
The "Canarian obedience" platform led by the last Secretary of the Organization of Pablo Iglesias moves further away from its former formation and thus joins the "space for collaboration" of the Turia Agreement, which includes the organization of Íñigo Errejón, Compromís, Més per Mallorca, Chunta Aragonesista, Verdes Equo, Coalition for Melilla and Movement for Dignity and Citizenship in Ceuta.
The pact comes in the middle of negotiations to define the candidacies for the regional elections in the Canary Islands, for which Rodríguez has already announced his intention to run as the head of the list of his project, and will take effect in the configuration of Sumar —by Vice President Yolanda Díaz— for the generals.
In a statement in which it ratifies the axes of Proyecto Drago —a “strictly Canary Islands” decision framework, the “confederality” of the archipelago and the “change of model” in the islands— the platform confirms its incorporation into the space: “We announce the beginning of our participation in the Turia Agreement.
From now on we will contribute within it the political vision of the Canarian reality and directly the concerns and desires for justice of an important part of society, and the need to respect our people on equal terms with other territories that suffer in various ways the centralist and standardizing push of the different factual state powers”, the text establishes.
Proyecto Drago opens, therefore, to a collaboration "on an equal footing" with forces that defend "effective self-government in the territories, an indisputable defense of public services and an ecological transition and production model that is fair for citizens ", Add.
The new alliance will take effect and threatens to complicate the ongoing negotiations.
Más País has been in talks with Podemos, IU, Sí se Puede and Equo for months to seek a joint candidacy for the regional and municipal elections on May 28 in the Canary Islands, but an agreement has not yet been reached.
Last December, when Rodríguez announced his intention to present himself as a candidate for the presidency, the leadership of Podemos set limits from Madrid: “We have the best candidate, Noemí Santana [current counselor for Social Rights], and we are convinced that she will to be able to articulate a project of unity of the left that is as plural, diverse and representative of the social reality in the Canary Islands”, stated that same day one of the spokesmen for the party, Pablo Fernández.
In an interview last week on Radio Club Tenerife, Rodríguez once again opened up to agreements with other organizations.
“If there is a broad agreement with Canarian society and with the multitude of political forces that exist, which are not just four or five [in reference to the party table in progress] we will be willing to agree on anything.
If in that space it is agreed that Alberto Rodríguez, instead of being the candidate for the presidency, has to be the one who puts up the posters, because there is a candidacy coming from civil society or the world of culture that is much more powerful, Alberto Rodríguez will be putting up posters in the electoral campaign”, he stated.
📻 @Alber_Canarias presented today in Cadena SER the premises of this space with a view to a broad and exciting electoral agreement ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/f8JxiUjuwW
– Drago Project (@proyecto_drago) January 16, 2023
In full reconfiguration of the space to the left of the PSOE, the alliance with Errejón's party has implications beyond the archipelago.
Díaz has spent months building his own project, Sumar, in which he aspires to integrate the party and allies of the former founder of Podemos.
The vice president also maintains a good relationship with Rodríguez, who left the formation very upset in October 2021, just one day after the president of Congress, Meritxell Batet, withdrew the act of deputy after the sentence imposed by the Supreme.
Sources of the Turia Agreement define their project as "collaborative" and "cooperative", in which different political forces make up "the same political space", and underline the "harmony" between the platform headed by Rodríguez and the rest of the parties.
"Step by step the Turia is growing and adding political and territorial forces," warn the same sources.
Errejón's alliance is strengthening in a fundamentally electoral year and with several negotiations ahead.