The candidacy led by the former coordinator of IU in Andalusia, Antonio Maíllo, has won the primaries to elect the new leadership with 53.4% ??of the votes, which confirms that he will be the new federal coordinator of Izquierda Unida. The Minister of Youth and Children, Sira Rego, was the second most voted (23.4%). And behind her have been the coordinator of IU Madrid, Álvaro Aguilera (14.1%) and the critic José Antonio García Rubio, who had the endorsement of Cayo Lara (8.3%).
“This assembly process is serving to activate the organization and with all that energy we are going to build a time for an UI more attached to the territory, the conflict and institutional work,” sources from the winning candidacy have pointed out.
Maíllo (Lucena, Córdoba, 1966) served as head of IU Andalucía between 2013 and 2019 when he left politics and returned to teaching. It was a stage during which he forged an alliance with Podemos for the Andalusian elections and which led to the Adelante Andalucía brand -led by Teresa Rodríguez-. A broad front for whose reconstruction he has run in the events held for the IU primaries. “You have to get into politics so that it stops being toxic and poisoned,” he defended in Malaga in one of his first acts as a candidate.
It is no coincidence that the unappealable victory of the one who formed a strategic alliance with the purple formation then led by Pablo Iglesias coincides with the criticisms launched from IU with the direction of Sumar. Calls of attention that, in turn, included, precisely, timid calls for Podemos to participate in a “process of recomposition of the transformative left in our country”, as the party’s spokesperson Ismael González mentioned just a month ago.
It is worth remembering that the Izquierda Unida election formula is not governed by the “iron list” system but rather that each candidacy, depending on the support obtained, will have its corresponding percentage in the management bodies. But having exceeded 50%, the rest of the candidates cannot agree to try to put together an alternative candidacy to Maíllo’s, so his proclamation is a mere procedure.
It will be in the Federal Assembly that will be held next weekend, and depending on the representation of each list, where the new executive bodies of IU will be elected: the Federal Coordinator, (highest management body between assemblies) and responsible for electing to the successor of Alberto Garzón, the Federal Commission of Arbitration and Democratic Guarantees and the Financial Control Commission.