The Minister of Education and the exlendakari would be reinforced in the new socialist organization chart, she in Ferraz and he probably in Congress
Nervousness and expectation have taken over the PSOE. Everyone looks towards Moncloa, towards Pedro Sánchez. Where will it tilt the balance, how does it intend to equip itself better for the municipal and regional elections in May and the general ones —if there is no advance payment— at the end of the year. There are only two days left on july 23for the federal committee to be held, the highest body of power, and the president has not yet revealed the new alignment, but what is already clear, because he left it in writing in the committee’s call, released to the emails from the leaders this Wednesday, is that he will order a extensive remodel of his executive and that the changes will reach the parliamentary groups. The two figures that, “Safely“, will be projected, according to Ferraz sources, are the Minister of Education, Pilar Alegría, and the ex-lendakari Patxi López. Both were already part of the current leadership, but both will gain weight and visibility.
The resignation of the Asturian Adriana Lastra as deputy secretary general, precipitated last Monday, has urged Sánchez to make some adjustments that he had been envisioning for some time. Her departure, in fact, has given him the opportunity to make a deep restructuring of its hard core in the PSOE just nine months after the 40th Federal Congress, held in Valencia last October. Now, in line with what leaders and territories have demanded, he wants to surround himself with heavy weights to face the last stretch of the legislature (with the polls against and the PP ahead), put the party in tension, go out to fight the PP and value the action of the Executive. And, by the way, to tackle the dysfunctions that the leadership suffered due to the evident tension between Lastra and the Secretary of Organization, Santos Cerdán. But, deep down, Sánchez amends himself, he admits that he failed less than a year ago in the so-called unity congress. The ‘shock’ of reality came to him through the absolute fiasco of the Andalusian elections of 19-J.
Alegría could become the new strong woman of the PSOE leadership, as deputy secretary, for some, or as secretary of Organization or perhaps spokesperson
Pilar Alegría (La Zaida, Zaragoza, 1977) has all the ballots to climb the socialist ladder. She is part of the current executive, although only as vocal. According to different sources, she could now become deputy secretary general —filling the vacancy in Lastra—, or else head of Organization —the position of higher organic rankbecause the dialogue with the territories depends on him—, a position to which he could add that of spokesman, replacing Felipe Sicilia, a man very close to the Asturian deputy and highly questioned internally.
In other words, in this second hypothesis, she could be head of the socialist apparatus, minister and spokesperson for the leadership, or else keep these last two positions. joy treasures a long organizational and institutional history: She was already a member of the Organization teams when Leire Pajín and Marcelino Iglesias led the portfolio, and later she was responsible for the Organization of the Aragonese PSOE (2014-2017), she has been a national deputy (2008-2015), regional councilor and parliamentarian (2015-2019 ), head of the list for the Zaragoza City Council (2019), Government delegate in the community (2020-2021) and head of Education for a year. In the party they value hers “higher ground” politician and his ability to attack the PP.
Patxi López could be in charge of the spokesperson in Congress, replacing Héctor Gómez, although there are those who see him as a spokesperson, but of the party, or next to the boss
In the event that Alegría were launched within the PSOE to a very relevant position, it would open the doubt of a government crisis, option to which the chief executive seemed more reluctant. In the environment of the minister and in Ferraz they rule out that she is going to cultivate an autonomous career, because she wants to focus on her national projection. In other words, she will not compete against the regional president, Javier Lambán, far removed from the leader, to be the candidate in Aragón in 2023.
Patxi López (Portugalete, 1959), deputy for Bizkaia since 2016, could become the new spokesman of his group in the lower house, replacing Héctor Gómez from the Canary Islands. But there are those who see him as spokesperson at Ferraz or even as deputy secretary general. Lopez competed against Sánchez and against Susana Díaz in the 2017 primariesand was third, but he was the only integration quota that the current president allowed himself in that executive that emerged from a terrible internal war.
Made him Federal Policy Secretary but, in the last 40th Congress, in October, he lowered the gallons and appointed him responsible for Democratic Memory and Secularism. Sánchez never included him in his circle of power, but now he wants it closer, to take advantage of his internal authority and his character, in addition to his political career as a historical militant of the PSE and as the Lendakari who led ETA to its end. It is a face recognizable of the party, and that is what the leader is also looking for: political referents.
election mode
What will happen with the current number three, with Santos Cerdán from Navarre? Sánchez has not confirmed it publicly. At the federal headquarters there are those who believe that he should resign, “because dignity“, that if he does not do it, the leader will force his downfall. But those who know him well indicate that he is “calm“, it feels “backed up“, and stress that if the president asked him to take a step back, “would never rock and would resign his position immediately”. He himself categorically states it in statements this Wednesday to ‘Diario de Navarra’. For now, she is still in talks with the chief to prepare for the federal committee on Saturday. In the territories, they highlight the good dialogue with him in recent years.
Cerdán, head of the apparatus, would resign if Sánchez asked him to, “he would not castle”, say those who know him well. And he himself affirms it. For now, the Navarrese leader remains in office
“But Santos,” agrees a regional leader, “is not a Secretary of Organization as they could be Txiki Benegas either Pepe Whitewho had a strategy, their own weight and a discourse”. It operates against Cerdán, some sources point out, that Sánchez does not want the reading of winners and losers. That is, he could reject the prevailing story that number three has beaten number two. And according to this perspective, and also taking into account that the remodeling will be wide and deep, it would be possible for Cerdán to be sacrificed.
Sánchez stealthily keeps his cards. He is talking these days with some barons, taking advantage of the fact that he is visiting their territories to attend to the emergency of fires or inaugurations of works. Several of those who have been contacted by the president assure this newspaper that he has not told them of his plans, but they have expressed their “confidence” in which he reorganizes the party according to his will.
The option of an electoral committee that works as an ‘executive bis’ loses strength and also ‘a priori’ Antonio Hernando would not leave Moncloa to disembark in Ferraz
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According to party sources, it is not expected that there is a reduction of the executive. The option of creating an electoral committee right now, as an ‘executive bis’, is also losing force. That alternative would have been reasonable, several consulted continue, if Lastra had not resigned, to empty the leadership of power, but when she leaves and the federal committee is convened, the leader can proceed with organic adjustments without problems. The possibility that Antonio Hernando, deputy director of Sánchez’s Cabinet, lands in Ferraz is also moving away. The president, and everyone agrees here, will also keep some surprises, as he usually does. As it happened, the year passed when he remade his Executive and changed the heart of power. Vacancies in management will have to be produced by forcing resignationsbecause the dismissals are not foreseen in the statutessince the executive in the PSOE is elected by the federal congress.
What the committee will also approve is the calendar of the regional and municipal primaries. Not the general ones. Ferraz planned to launch the planning in a federal committee scheduled for September, but with the fall of Lastra, everything has accelerated. The message, in any case, is unequivocal: the entire PSOE must put already in electoral mode.