Three candidates will compete in March for the succession of Fernández Vara in the Extremaduran PSOE

The PSOE of Extremadura is already in the race for succession to its general secretary after 15 years of mandate of the former president of the Extremaduran government Guillermo Fernández Vara. The path, however, began after the regional elections on May 28 when the socialists, despite having won the elections, were unable to maintain the autonomous government that they had in their power during the two previous legislatures because the Popular Party made an agreement with Vox. a coalition in the Executive. The disappointment of the insufficient majority also led to the end of Vara as head of the party, announced by the veteran socialist politician on election night. After a few months of silence marked by the formation of the central Government, the Extremaduran party bodies have recovered activity at the beginning of this year. And after the meeting of the regional executive this past weekend, the change in the PSOE of Extremadura already has a date: on March 2 the new general secretary will be elected.

That Saturday the militants will be called to vote, and if they do not opt ​​for more than 50% of the votes for one of the candidates, they will return to the polls in a second round to choose between the two most voted candidates, already on the 9th. March. Sources from the national leadership of the PSOE detail to EL PAÍS that the party does not opt ​​for any of the pre-candidacies presented in Extremadura. The outgoing Guillermo Fernández Vara has not shown any predilections either.

Three names are the socialist leaders who have already announced their intention to write the future of the party that has governed Extremadura the most times and for the longest time, the president of the Badajoz Provincial Council and mayor of Villanueva de la Serena, Miguel Ángel Gallardo; the vice president of the Assembly of Extremadura, Lara Garlito; and the former Minister of Health José María Vergeles.

The first to convey to public opinion his desire to succeed former President Vara was Miguel Ángel Gallardo, 49 years old. He has been mayor of Villanueva de la Serena (Badajoz, 25,750 inhabitants) since 2003 with absolute majorities and during the last two terms he has been president of the Badajoz Provincial Council. Gallardo assures that he welcomes the process with great strength and enthusiasm and that for him the elections that will bring about change in the socialist formation are a means to change the government of Extremadura and end the policies of the PP and Vox. “I offer to change the party by turning it towards the municipal, with politics that looks with a human face and with a different way of working, whoever is attached to the people's problems, to their illusions, has a greater capacity to connect with that society that gives us Wait,” says the potential candidate. Gallardo highlights that his motto, “the value of the word,” confronts what he says the popular president, María Guardiola, has done in the region, because although he assured that he would never agree with Vox, he ended up including the ultras in his Executive. He also assures that, if he is not elected general secretary, he will not be “in any executive.”

The second pre-candidacy is that of Lara Garlito, vice president of the Assembly of Extremadura, who has held important positions in the PSOE of Extremadura in recent terms, as general vice president of the party or parliamentary spokesperson. The politician, born 38 years ago in Cáceres, claims to face this process with great strength, energy and hope: “I offer a united, strong, renewed party that draws from its bases, but also from what it has been, from what it is. and what a new generation is willing to give, where we know how to face the problems of today's society.” She advocates that the party emerge stronger and united from the elections.

And the third to report his decision to succeed Guillermo Fernández Vara has been one of the closest advisors to the president during his governments, José María Vergeles (Fuente del Maestre, Badajoz, 55 years old), former Minister of Health and former second vice president of the Extremadura joint. He welcomes the process normally and is proud that a group of militants has believed in him to be able to offer a collective project and to continue making the PSOE of Extremadura strong: “I offer more participation, a more lively debate, especially in the town's houses , but also promote other technologies that allow us to confront these models of participation, as well as support for colleagues who are in municipal governments and those who are in the opposition.” Although he faces the primaries “without adversaries”, he considers that an agreement for a unitary candidacy does not currently seem viable.

Once each of the pre-candidacies has been registered and validated, the contenders have until February 14 to present endorsements: a minimum of 6% of the census of militants closed on February 1. From that moment on, it will be the ethics commission of the PSOE of Extremadura that will approve the candidacies, which will then become official; From February 16 to March 1 the electoral campaign will take place.

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