Begoña Villacís has not obtained the 126 endorsements necessary to run in the internal primaries of Ciudadanos as head of the party’s list in the municipal elections in May, according to sources from the formation. The national leadership of the party, however, has chosen Villacís as its candidate as she is the candidacy that has received the most support, as the leadership has issued in a statement to the media. Araceli Gómez will be the candidate for the presidency of the region. The period for the collection of candidacies ended this Tuesday and opened a week ago. The leader of Ciudadanos, and current vice mayor of Ciudadanos, presented her candidacy last weekend, after EL PAÍS published 10 days ago that she intended to join the Popular Party as “an internal current.” The news initially shook the national leadership of the formation, which ended up endorsing its aspirations as “a great political asset” of Ciudadanos, despite the controversy that arose.
The new party statutes, approved in the general assembly in January, raised the minimum floor to be able to run as a candidate for internal primaries: any affiliate will need to achieve the support of 15% of the militancy. In the case of Madrid, the total militants would be around 800, according to party sources, for which 126 endorsements were necessary. Nor has Villacís’ opponent in the internal election process, Alberto Pulido, a member of an internal current, managed to meet the minimum required. The case of Madrid is not the only one, there are more autonomous communities that have been left without candidates due to lack of endorsements, a fact that further plunges the party into the crisis in which it has been immersed for months and that highlights the scarce grassroots support for the refoundation process.
After the disaster of the Andalusian elections, in which Ciudadanos went from 21 to zero seats on June 19, Inés Arrimadas promoted a refoundation of the party in which Villacís has actively worked. The deputy mayor of Madrid was also present at the general assembly held 22 days ago, which almost unanimously ratified the presentations on statutes and values. As a result of this renewal process, the formation left behind the pre-election pacts and defends tooth and nail the initials of Cs. In private, however, the leader began to defend the idea of joining the PP as an “internal current”, something that she came to admit to questions from EL PAÍS.
But last Wednesday, when her doubts had already come to light and caused an earthquake in Ciudadanos, she denied the most and stated that nothing else had ever crossed her mind other than being the “candidate” of “Ciudadanos” for mayor: ” I have not moved one iota from my party. My circle has said many things, but today I speak.” And she stated at a press conference that she had never thought of anything other than not being the “Ciudadanos candidate” for mayor of Madrid. Along the way, the PP of Madrid, led by Isabel Díaz Ayuso, had disdained the possible signing, while the national leadership of Alberto Núñez Feijóo saw it with good eyes.
[Noticia de última hora en ampliación]
What affects the most is what happens closer. To not miss anything, subscribe.
subscribe
