Add will try to advance during this week with its coalition allies in the reorganization of the parliamentary group, where a new spokesman in Congress, and to begin to recover from the crisis generated by the resignation of the former deputy Íñigo Errejónsurrounded by allegations of sexual harassment.
For example, the management of the formation will have to confirm the predictable postponement of its second assembly initially scheduled for December 14 and 15. However, the congressional processes of Galicia y Euskadi will continue their normal development, culminating respectively on November 23 and between the end of the month and the beginning of December, according to Sumar sources.
In addition, among the upcoming challenges is to try to to maintain the tax on electricityThe tax is expected to expire on December 31, and the negotiation for the next two years is expected to be completed by December 31, 2010. General BudgetsThe government should not face it in a situation of weakness, according to other sources of the confluence that integrates the minority partner of the Executive.
There will be no problem in agreeing on a new spokesperson
Various sectors of the coalition emphasize that throughout this week, after the “shock” of the Errejón case, it will be the time for to deal with the replacement of the spokesperson from the conviction that this position should be held by a woman.
According to several sources, the following are among the favorites in these pools deputy spokesperson Aina Vidal and Congresswoman Verónica Martínezalthough the group’s criterion is to opt for serenity and release from pressure any person who can meet the profile for a position that entails high public exposure. In addition, that election should bring together a pact for a comprehensive restructuring of positions in Congress. “With the spokesman there will be no problems”, agree several deputies.
Yes it is ruled out for the direction of the group that the two positions that Sumar has in the Bureau of Congress, held by Esther Gil and Gerardo Pisarello, would not be touched, but from there there may be changes in the list of deputy spokespersons or committee spokespersons, depending on who the spokesperson will finally be.
Thus, it will be the third time so far in the legislature that Sumar will have to choose its main reference in Congress and the criterion among the different branches of the coalition is to establish a stability that has already been broken twice, first with the departure of Marta Lois and now with the resignation of Errejón.
Decision-making must be more democratic
For this process, the IU has already advocated for a integral remodeling and, above all, to apply democratic and horizontal decision-making mechanisms, both at parliamentary group and coalition level. And Compromís has also aligned itself in this position while several deputies raised it in last Monday’s group meeting.
For its part, Sumar contemplates a concerted decision with its partners, although the coalition agreement gives it the power to designate the spokesperson in Congress. The generic consensus is that now the formation is touched and that they have been hit by this crisis, that has repercussions on the whole of the leftbut that the broad front project is necessary and will only move forward through cohesion.
It is necessary to recompose to negotiate with the PSOE.
The secretary general of the group, Txema Guijarro, was graphic in a press conference last Tuesday in defining the impact of the accusations against Errejón as a “nuclear bomb” and that the alternative left had to find a way out to recompose itself. However, he was convinced that everyone would be “up to the task”, since the coalition government, for example, depended on it.
However, despite the support of the PSOE to the minority partner, praising his forcefulness when acting against Errejón, has not pleased Sumar’s ranks that the tax on extraordinary profits of electricity companies is not included. in the bill to reform the corporate tax.
Precisely the tax reform and making permanent both the tax on energy and banking was one of the elements on which Sumar was pressuring the PSOE for the budget negotiation. And with a view to the processing of this regulation, it has presented a battery of amendments with its main taxation measures.
From the plurinational group has indicated that it hopes with its amendments to an agreement with the groups, which seems complicated due to the refusal of Junts to maintain the tax dedicated to electricity. In this respect, a deputy of the group suspects that the PSOE may be tempted to to take advantage of the weakness of Sumar to stop advances in tax and budgetary matters, although he warns that this is not the moment to “play with fire” or strain relations in the coalition.
On Saturday, the leadership meets
For its part, Sumar’s Coordinating Group, its highest governing body, will meet this Saturday to analyze the state of health of the formation and to determine whether to postpone its new assembly, which was intended to strengthen the political project after the poor results of the electoral cycle.
In Sumar they explain that this postponement was already being considered before this crisis, although precisely Errejón was in charge of the political paper, which was called to be the most important document and which is now “orphaned”. Movimiento Sumar is now also in a interim situation in its organic leadership, since it is now piloted by a collegiate coordinator after the resignation of the second vice-president, Yolanda Díazto the position of general coordinator after the debacle in the European elections.
In addition, at the organizational level, the formation assumes that the pretension of integrating into its structures other allied parties no longer corresponds to reality and, in agreement with them, set up a table of formations to maintain relations on an equal footing. However, its autonomous processes in Euskadi and Galicia, which are already well underway will continue. In fact, in the Galician case, candidacies may be presented to opt for the management bodies from this Monday until November 15.