Ciudadanos has deployed this Friday, in Murcia, the second of the huge canvases made for the pre-campaign of the next May elections.

Appealing to one of the central and original lines of his speech, the fight against corruption, CS points to the Murcian president, Fernando López Miras, as a possible future defendant.

"The Region of Murcia deserves a president who does not end up in jail," reads the huge poster, referring to the Ciudadanos candidate for the regional elections, María José Ros, as an example of regeneration.

During the presentation of the banner, the candidate for the Murcian government was accompanied by the party's national spokesperson, Patricia Guasp, who went to Murcia along with other leaders of the formation to celebrate the last national committee —the extended executive of 30 members —,

Also appearing on the banner are the popular ex-presidents of the Region, Ramón Luis Valcárcel and Pedro Antonio Sánchez, accused and convicted, respectively.

Also the Murcian socialist candidate, Pepe Vélez, in turn investigated for embezzlement.

After the presentation, PSOE and PP have asked the Central Electoral Board to withdraw the canvas.

CS is going to present allegations before the body to maintain it.

It was precisely in Murcia where the Ciudadanos crisis worsened after the frustrated motion of no confidence in March 2021. The formation was expelled from the Government of the Region, first, and from the Madrid Assembly, later.

This powder keg was followed by the tragic results in the elections in Castilla y León and Andalusia last year, and whose executives had also formed part in a coalition with the PP.

Ostracized,

the party promoted a refoundation last July to try to survive.

And the first goal is just around the corner: next May 28.

In the midst of the difficulties, and the barrage of positions that have been integrated into the PP, the formation has finally presented 808 candidacies throughout Spain, with candidates in all the provincial capitals except Zamora.

Faced with the polls, which predict a very complicated result, Ciudadanos hopes to be "decisive" in several municipalities to reach government pacts.

Regarding these hypothetical agreements, the national leadership will give freedom to the territories, with the application of the program as a condition.

Of course, when it comes to dealing with the Popular Party, sources from the executive warn that the PP will accuse the "institutional corruption" that involves having signed up Ciudadanos positions for its lists, in case of being able to choose between PSOE and PP.

"The shamelessness of the PP will end up taking its toll on them in the end."

The general secretary of Ciudadanos, Adrián Vázquez, met a month ago at his own request with the general coordinator of the PP, Elías Bendodo.

“It was transferred to [Bendodo] that the new leadership was not going to accept that the PP assume defectors because we consider it institutional corruption.

And, if the PP remained in this dynamic, the new leadership [of Ciudadanos] would take note of it, ”say CS sources.

The PP describes the meeting as "cordial" and denies such terms.

“Citizens is dead.

They wanted to take an official photo of the meeting to make it public and we refused," they say.

At the same time, CS is trying to rebuild the bridges blown up with the PSOE, as Vázquez explained in another meeting with the Minister of the Presidency, Félix Bolaños, on the same dates.

“Widening the liberal space”

“These more than 800 municipal lists confirm that the new Ciudadanos continues and will continue to defend its own [liberal] space.

It is a joint satisfaction of all the management that accompanies us”, Guasp said in the act this Friday, about the candidacies presented for the 28-M.

“We are not sucking our finger, we know that we are going to go down in May.

It's not going to be a good result, but it's not that bad”, add management sources about the result.

Once the fall has been accepted, the leadership alleges that they have not had enough time, since the re-founding assembly held in January, to overcome the difficult situation.

"He was late," other party sources agree on whether the refounding process has gone well.

The national spokesperson for CS, Patricia Guasp (center), together with the candidate for the Government of Murcia, María José Ros, this Friday.CIUDADANOS (CIUDADANOS)

Patricia Guasp herself is the Ciudadanos candidate for the Balearic Government, and her entry or not into the regional Parliament will condition her future as leader of the formation.

From her environment they deny that, if she does not win a seat, she will resign.

However, and if necessary, her legitimacy to continue taking the reins of CS will undoubtedly be compromised.

The new leadership ensures that they will attend the general elections at the end of the year whatever happens in May.

"We are building a party with a vocation of duration", they sentence from the executive.

Subscribe to continue reading

Read without limits

Keep reading

I'm already a subscriber