“My word is not as important as the future of Extremadura”. With this sentence, the president of the PP of Extremadura and candidate for the presidency in that community, María Guardiola, justified her change of opinion regarding the impossibility of presiding over a government in which Vox was present, for not sharing her speech that denies violence macho, or his attitude and contempt for immigrants, among others.
The agreement signed this afternoon by the PP candidates, María Guardiola, and Vox, Ángel Pelayo Gordillo, leaves aside those elements on which they did not agree, according to the popular leader, so that violence does not even appear in the agreement intra-family or sexist violence, contrary to what the PP leadership said this morning, although it does have a reference to rejecting the sexist discourse.
Specifically, the agreement, in the section on social, family and housing policies, underlines in its section 46 that “We will work to eradicate from our community macho discourse, whether in the civil or religious sphere, that promotes or justifies violence against the woman”.
María Guardiola defended the agreement reached, although she stressed that “these are difficult days” and that it has been “a painful step”, stressed that “good sense has prevailed and we have both been generous”, while guaranteeing that “I have been very free” to make the decision to agree, and explained that it has been the result of “a deep process of reflection” and has been forced to go to the origin of why she wanted to be a candidate to preside over the Junta de Extremadura.
“I wanted to change the lives of the people of Extremadura, and my words are not as important as the future of the people of Extremadura”, although he stressed that “I have not lied” because “my principles remain the same” and he continues to want to “build a more prosperous society ” that it was only possible with a political change and that “it is only possible by not giving up”.
He recognized that his words ten days ago, especially some, were “the result of significant anger”, and although he continues to think about them, for the sake of that agreement that ends the “inertia of socialist policies”, they have decided to leave what they separates them out of the agreement. “I do not assume the postulates of Vox, but we are going to understand each other. That did make clear his rejection of the words of a Vox councilor, these days, on the occasion of LGTBI Pride Day in Mérida, against this group, and said that “I will always defend the rights of this group and diversity”.
On whether he has considered resigning before governing with Vox, María Guardiola assured that he had not, but that “I have reflected and I think it would have been an easy way out for those who want to remain in power.” The popular leader also stressed that her words “have been used in a tortious way by those who want to divide” the people of Extremadura, but “my principles remain intact” and considers that “it is preferable that I get frustrated, than that the future of the Extremadurans”. The candidate to preside over Extremadura also complained about the “personal and political crush, which exceeds any reasonableness” to which she has been subjected.
The agreement includes the presence of Vox in a council, instead of having a vice presidency and two councils, as Vox intended. And the council will be that of Forest Management and Rural World, which includes the management of forest fires, hunting, fishing, bullfighting and natural heritage, but not Agriculture, as Vox initially intended. Agriculture will be in the hands of the PP.
Vox will not have intermediate positions in other ministries, according to the representatives of the two parties, but it will have the regional senator that corresponds to the PP, and also the popular ones agree to modify the Regulations of the Assembly of Extremadura “to guarantee that the composition of the Board of the Chamber is proportional to the number of members of each parliamentary group”. With this reform, it is intended to reverse the election of the Board, in which Vox aspired to the presidency, but which did not take place due to the lack of agreement, which made it fall to the PSOE.
The agreement was immediately rejected by the PSOE, whose spokeswoman, Soraya Vega, accused Guardiola of “introducing fascism into Extremadura, opening the doors wide” and that she has lost her dignity as a politician, and will be a president “without words, without coherence and without dignity” because he has exchanged “principles for power”.
