Jaume Asens has not gained enough support within En Comú Podemos to repeat as head of the list of his formation – now with the prefix of Sumar – for Barcelona in the July elections. Although the president of the parliamentary group of Unides Podemos had the firm intention of being the headliner again, an alternative name has appeared strongly in its formation, that of Aina Vidal, also a member of Congress, who finally he won the game. As a result, Asens ended up throwing in the towel yesterday and blessing the choice of Vidal.
The leader announced that he is leaving the first political line shortly before the crucial national council of the communes that had to approve the lists of the four constituencies of Sumar En Comú Podem. He did so with a letter through social networks in which he justified his decision: “There are times when you need to know how to step aside to let other leaderships, who can connect better with the new times, take over and thus put collective interests ahead of individual ones”. Asens considered his aspirations in public life satisfied after having served a term in the Barcelona City Council, as deputy mayor, and another in the Congress of Deputies.
Her step aside left Aina Vidal free to lead the list of Sumar for Barcelona, ??of whom Asens himself points out that she is a woman “whom I admire, who comes from union struggles and who knows what it means to work hard”. And given the opportunity to have a woman president of Spain for the first time, with reference to Yolanda Díaz, the leader values ??that “Comú Podemos also deserves to be led by a brave woman like Aina Vidal”.
In addition to the deputy, the list for Barcelona will have Gerardo Pisarello as number two, Gala Pin in third place; the organizational secretary of Podemos Lilith Verstrynge in the fourth – following the agreement of En Comú Podemos with Sumar–; the councilor of Barcelona Eloi Badia in the fifth and the national coordinator of Catalonia in Comú Candela López, in the sixth.
The commons have used up the last few hours to design the lists, a delay that reinforces the fact that during the formation the internal debate about its leadership was boiling, focused on two different profiles. Asens gained weight four years ago due to its link with sovereignty, but the appeasement of the Catalan crisis has meant that Vidal has been gaining weight.
The deputy’s supporters emphasize her experience in Congress – she has been a deputy since 2016 -, her youth – 38 years old – and her connection to neighborhood and labor struggles. In addition, they value that a woman marries better with Yolanda Díaz’s feminist project.
