The critical sector of the PSOE of Aragón attacks Lambán while waiting for Alegría to make the leap to the federation | Spain

The organic battle of the PSOE of Aragón intensifies as we wait for Pilar Alegría to fulfill the predictions and formally apply to succeed Javier Lambán and become the first general secretary of the federation. The Government spokesperson and Minister of Education, Vocational Training and Sports, who is finalizing her candidacy, does not have the support of the former regional president (2015-2023) and territorial leader of the socialists since 2012. Lambán’s argument, which will not be presented to re-election and has not publicly named a successor, is that it would be “an anomaly for a minister to lead the opposition to a regional president,” as he told EL PAÍS. The socialist baron stated in an interview with this newspaper that “right now a minister is not the best electoral poster” and that the objective of Ferraz and La Moncloa “is organic” territorial control with “the landing of ministers” in several federations lacking of consolidated leadership. The Huesca federation, openly confronting Lambán for years, came out this Monday in a storm against the general secretary while the rest of the federation remained silent waiting for the next moves to renew the regional leadership of the party.

“Looking at the interview in EL PAÍS, my first reflection was: every day I like poetry more,” stated Fernando Sabés, provincial secretary of Huesca, who in this way has vindicated Marcelino Iglesias and the defense he has made of the last weeks of Joy. Lambán’s predecessor at the head of the PSOE of Aragón (2000-2012) and regional president between 1999 and 2011 has denounced that actions are being taken “with cainism” and in a “shameful” manner against the minister and considers that, given the choice “between hawks and pigeons”, Alegría would be the second due to its willingness to build bridges to seek agreements in the federation. Lambán’s response to this newspaper in this regard (“I see Marcelino as poetic at this point in his life”) stirred up the critical sector. “I stick with the poetry and respect that the aforementioned poet taught us,” national deputy Begoña Nasarre, a member of the leadership of the socialist group in Congress, supported Sabés. “One comes to the conclusion that there are futures that are as urgent as they are necessary,” said Iván Carpí, deputy in the Cortes of Aragón. “My first reflection was tiredness. I don’t know who wins with this, certainly not the PSOE. And I also like poetry more and more every day. Precisely the poet taught us to be generous to always protect the PSOE. It is everyone’s project,” shared Lorena Canales, another regional deputy from Huesca.

The province of Huesca has about 1,400 militants, slightly more than Teruel (around 1,100), so the situation of technical tie between the two is broken by the province of Zaragoza, which brings together almost 5,000 militants. Its provincial secretary is Juan Antonio Sánchez Quero, president of the Zaragoza Provincial Council, who has said that Lambán has asked him to appear while the former president has avoided demonstrating in public. The sector lambista He waits for Sánchez Quero to take the step, who in the meantime is buying time and will not clarify what he will do until he approves the Provincial Council’s budgets at the end of the year.

In the midst of this storm, while in Zaragoza and Teruel supporters of an alternative like Alegría’s are gaining followers, the meeting of the federal executive of the PSOE was preceded by the good atmosphere and the jokes that some of its members made to the minister. . The conclusion at the top, according to management sources, is that Lambán’s suspicions favor Alegría and weaken those who are reluctant to reach an understanding for the new stage that will open without the former Aragonese president.

Lambán’s words angered the PSPV-PSOE. The leadership of the Valencian socialists felt singled out because the territorial leader, Diana Morant, combines that role with that of Minister of Science. “They are two totally different areas, one does not make the other impossible. I am sure that no law of the Government led by Pedro Sánchez will go against the interests of the Valencians, for example, or in the case of Pilar Alegría, of the Aragonese men and women,” said Mercedes Caballero, deputy. in the Valencian Cortes, after the reflection of the Secretary General of Aragon that it is “anomalous” for a minister to make his performance in the central Government compatible with opposition to a regional president. “The anomaly is Lambán’s way of acting,” says one of his most powerful critics in Aragon.

The volcanic situation in Aragon is far from that of other federations such as La Rioja. The federation has followed in the wake of the Madrid socialists and has become the second to renew its leadership quickly after the 41st Federal Congress in Seville. Javier García, 42 years old and mayor of Arnedo since 2015, He will succeed as the new general secretary the former regional president Concha Andreu (2019-2023), who after losing the Government resigned last June to run for re-election as regional leader of the party. García, who is also the socialist spokesperson in the Parliament of La Rioja, announced in July that he would run and on December 9 he formally presented his pre-candidacy for the general secretary: the process concluded this Monday at noon without any alternative being registered, for so the only candidate was elected without the need for primaries. Exactly the same as Óscar López in Madrid. The regional congress of the PSOE La Rioja will be on February 15 and 16.

The big surprise of the day occurred in Murcia. José Vélez, general secretary since 2021, who seemed to be re-elected without internal contestation, resigned late in the afternoon to run for another term. His decision came after Diego Conesa, territorial leader between 2017 and 2021, registered his pre-candidacy this Monday. The deadline to present pre-candidacies ends this Tuesday and Vélez contemplated that there would be four candidates. In this situation, Vélez went this Monday to the state headquarters of the PSOE to meet with the Secretary of Organization, Santos Cerdán, and inform him of the situation of the federation. Hours later he announced his resignation in an open letter to the militancy.

“I have made the decision to put an end to my time as general secretary because I want a stronger and more united party. We cannot allow exacerbated egos and those who put their personal interests first, solely and exclusively, to once again impose internal divisions, stark wars and fratricidal fights within our organization, something that, without a doubt, has weighed down the PSOE in the Region of Murcia in recent decades,” Vélez said goodbye. In addition to Conesa, Txema Almela, former president of Real Murcia, and the senator and former mayor of Santomera Inmaculada Sánchez have also entered the race for the general secretary. Conesa participates with the endorsement of having been the only socialist candidate who in 2019 won the regional elections for the PP for the first time in almost three decades. “I present myself with the intention of revitalizing the project with enthusiasm, courage, strength and with the intention of winning again,” he stated.