The first week of work for the new Ciudadanos executive had one of the most complicated decisions ahead of her: should Edmundo Bal continue as parliamentary spokesperson?
The intention was to address this matter at the first meeting of the leadership last Monday, but the appeasement of the internal war, thanks to the negotiations during the general assembly, meant that the debate on his continuity in office was postponed to the appointment of this Monday.
Finally, the management maintains Bal "for the moment" as deputy spokesperson, but he will have less media presence.
The former president and parliamentary spokesperson, Inés Arrimadas, will from now on appear at Tuesday press conferences to replace Bal, who has regularly responded to the media in the Lower House for the last three years.
Also,
Deputy Guillermo Díaz will hold a new position —that of parliamentary coordinator—, so that the deputies act in accordance with the line set by the leadership, of which he is also a part.
"He is outrageous," respond sources from the parliamentary group.
The war waged by Bal and Arrimadas in recent months, on account of the party's leadership and ideological identity, culminated in the primary process held 10 days ago.
But the accusations made by Bal during the campaign for the candidacy of Patricia Guasp and Adrián Vázquez —who were imposed by 53.25% of the votes, compared to 39.34% of those harvested by the deputy—, provoked the anger of the new leaders of Ciudadanos.
Also the subsequent reaction of the spokesperson to the announcement of the results, when Bal considered that a "great majority" requested a change, so the demands of his list "had to be heard" by the new management.
An executive supervised, in his opinion, by Arrimadas, who supported and closed the winning list in last place.
In the first moment,
the group stirs
Also during the campaign, most of the deputies positioned themselves in favor of Bal, except for Guillermo Díaz —affiliated with Arrimadas and a member of the winning candidacy—, for which reason the order to dismiss him as parliamentary spokesman could have led to an uprising.
For this reason, the new Secretary General of Ciudadanos, Adrián Vázquez, has met with all the deputies these days to take the pulse of the group and calm tensions.
"There is a great predisposition of all the colleagues to continue being the best group of deputies and that is the true opposition to Sánchez," Vázquez stressed at a press conference.
Management sources maintain that there has been "consensus" and unity to "row all together."
However, the decision of the executive not only has not put an end to the discrepancies, but has fueled the battle.
“They treat us like a rebel group.
Guillermo Díaz is the group's liaison when that figure does not exist in the statutes, ”sources from the group censor.
“There is discomfort”, sentence others.
Normally, Bal appeared before the media, since Arrimadas was also focused on her functions as president.
The management justifies this change under the reasoning that the spokesperson is now released from those powers.
In addition, to have greater control over the group, they introduce Díaz as the executive's liaison so that the position is in line with that of the new leadership.
"He will be a person on whom a lot of the future responsibility will fall in Congress, and transfer the decisions back and forth," added Vázquez,
More information
Interview |
Patricia Guasp: "On Monday we will discuss whether Edmundo Bal continues as spokesman for Cs in Congress"
The first key appointment after this change will be this Tuesday during the celebration of the extraordinary plenary session in Congress.
The leadership has announced that Ciudadanos will abstain from voting on the new anti-crisis package for the war in Ukraine approved by the Government at the end of the year and in force since January 1.
“The measures are patches.
We proposed some of them a year ago, but they are not enough ”, Guasp stated at a press conference when announcing his position.
"They decide our vote without consulting us," reply the first parliamentary sources.
Some criticisms that show that the struggle between the leadership and a large part of the parliamentary group remains unresolved.
Who's who in the new executive
standing committee
As with respect to the debate on Bal, Ciudadanos will now make their decisions with a more nourished direction than in the Arrimadas stage.
There are three executives.
The hard core of decision-making —the permanent committee—, which incorporates a greater number of people.
Specifically, 15 CS leaders, including party leaders Patricia Guasp and Adrián Vázquez, political spokesperson and general secretary, respectively.
The group is completed by the Madrid councilor, Mariano Fuentes, and the Navarrese deputy, Carlos Pérez-Nievas —general deputy secretary and national coordinator.
And other leaders such as Nacho Martín Blanco, spokesman for Ciudadanos in the Catalan Parliament, and deputy Guillermo Díaz.
Executive committee
In a lower stratum is the executive committee, made up of the 15 leaders of the permanent committee plus another 15 members.
Among those who are the vice mayor of Madrid, Begoña Villacís, and the former president of CS and spokesperson in Congress, Inés Arrimadas.
In addition to other leaders such as the regional coordinator in Catalonia, Carlos Carrizosa, and the vice president of the Tenerife council, Enrique Arriaga.
national committee
And a last level —that of the national committee—, made up of the executive committee plus twenty regional coordinators (who with the new statutes are now called regional presidents).
A much broader leadership than the previous one and with greater territorial representation, with the idea of ending the caesarisms and making decisions in a more transversal and assembly manner.
The primaries to elect the new regional presidents of the 12 communities that hold elections in May are scheduled for the month of February.
And the lists of candidates for the municipal and regional elections will be ready for March.
General advice
In addition to the executive, Ciudadanos has a general council, the highest body between assemblies, made up of another 125 members.
On other occasions, the dome used to transfer its power to this body with advisers from its string, but this was not the case this time.
The parties have agreed that the representation be 60 in favor of Guasp, 40 close to Bal and another 25 that were voted directly in the general assembly on January 15.
Part of the new permanent committee, after its first meeting, on Monday the 16th, at the party headquarters. Gustavo Valiente (Europa Press)
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