The troubled waters are subsiding in the PSOE of Aragón. The hidden struggle that the formation has been going through since the May elections, in which the Government of Aragon and a large part of the institutions it held lost, experienced a new chapter this Tuesday due to the opposing positions of its provincial committees on whether it Whether or not it is time to start the replacement process in the regional management.
The melon, until now closed, was opened by the PSOE federation of Huesca, the main support that Ferraz has in Aragon. It was after the celebration this Monday of his provincial committee, when he issued a statement in which he urged not to waste “not one more minute” in the search for a new “strong leadership, which is elected and recognized by the militancy” and strengthens the socialist project in the community.
Javier Lambán, known for being one of the socialist barons most critical of Pedro Sánchez, has held the position of general secretary of the party in Aragon since 2012. But after his defeat in the May elections, which ended eight years of socialist presidency, He has already announced his intention not to attend the primaries to lead the party, although without pointing out a possible successor.
In their statement, the Huesca socialists do not mention any name: neither that of Lambán to request his departure or question his management nor that of the Aragonese Minister of Education and Government spokesperson, Pilar Alegría, who is their favorite. Even so, they insist on the need to have a leadership “that does not insist on confrontations” and that is based on the internal organs of the party. “Because certain actions in public in search of confrontation take away our credibility,” they added.
Faced with these words, the response of the ‘lambanistas’ has not been long in coming. In a statement, the general secretary of the PSOE of Zaragoza and president of the Provincial Council, Juan Antonio Sánchez Quero, has shown “unwavering” support for the figure of Lambán, who in September 2021 garnered the support of 96.55% of the delegates present at the 17th Congress for a period of four years.
In their note, the Zaragoza socialists understand that this “is not the time” for the PSOE to get entangled in “internal processes” when the European elections are so close (June 9) and when Aragon has a government “hostage to the extreme right.” ”. Likewise, they remember that the federal PSOE is going through a “very difficult” situation in which it is only possible to support the federal executive and close ranks “without opening wars and internal disputes that right now are deeply inopportune and irresponsible.”
Sánchez Quero also remembers that the congressional process is a regulated mechanism that begins with the federal party congress, scheduled for this fall, which is followed by the regional and provincial congresses. “When the time comes, there will be a regional congress for the PSOE of Aragon and primaries to choose its general secretary, and it will be the Aragonese militants at the polls, and not from Madrid, who will decide who should lead the PSOE of Aragon in the next stage,” he insisted.
The third party in play, the PSOE Teruel, aligned itself with Zaragoza and also called for “responsibility and prudence” at a “difficult” moment for the party at the national level. In a note, its general secretary and Lambán’s right-hand man, Mayte Perez, assures that they do not believe it is appropriate to “generate more difficulties than we already have” and opted for a “cohesive and loyal” party with the organization at the regional and national level.
Pérez, who was dismissed last month as a member of the Federal Executive, assures that they understand that it is time to “close ranks” with the party, although she also defended “the need to pilot the organic processes normally and their own and habitual autonomy.” that the community has had before.
Regarding the possibility of bringing forward the regional congress, the people of Teruel say they respect the times set by both Lambán and the Federal Executive. “Our position is to support the calendar that has been set by the Federal and that is what we are going to continue supporting,” he added.
