Verónica Martínez has the support of Sumar’s main parties to be the new spokesperson for the parliamentary group, replacing Íñigo Errejón, who resigned a week ago amid a scandal over allegations of sexual harassment. The official decision has not yet been made because this negotiation will be accompanied by several parallel conversations for the restructuring of the parliamentary group, which is the body in charge of approving the appointment.
Sumar, therefore, will not yet put Martínez’s proposal to a vote, although the group’s parties have shown their willingness to support his candidacy, as different sources explain to elDiario.es. Some formations such as Izquierda Unida have proposed that the decision go first to the coalition party table, which includes some but not all of the group’s parties. And then it will be submitted to a vote in the parliamentary group.
The underlying negotiation, in reality, affects the plumbing of the parliamentary group: a restructuring of the deputy spokespersons and the commissions to once again balance the weights of each party. Sumar tries to balance the interests of the different parties immersed in these conversations but with the premise that there is already a consensus that Martínez is the spokesperson. She is the only candidate on the table and none of the parties have opposed it.
The parliamentarian for Pontevedra is part of the Sumar Movement quota, Yolanda Díaz’s party. It was as head of Sumar’s list for Pontevedra in the 23J elections. Previously, she had been general director of Labor with Yolanda Díaz in the Ministry. Since 2017, she had also served as president of the Galician Labor Relations Council.
Thus, Martínez will most likely occupy the position held until a few days ago by Íñigo Errejón, who had to resign forced by the leadership of his party after a series of anonymous complaints emerged on social networks. These posts, published by Cristina Fallarás, denounced sexual harassment practices that Sumar attributed to his spokesperson, who immediately recognized that these complaints were about him. On Thursday at noon he published a letter announcing his resignation.
Since then, Sumar tried to resolve a political crisis of magnitude yet to be defined while trying to reorganize the parliamentary group. Several coalition parties, such as IU, had requested that the replacement of the spokesperson be done in a democratic manner and that it be accompanied by a restructuring of the group. It is a reflection that arises from the way in which many of the decisions in the group had been made until now, such as the initial distribution of spokespersons, the appointment of Marta Lois or her replacement by Errejón.
There are changes that Sumar must make. Errejón was a regular spokesperson in the constitutional commission and also a member of the permanent deputation (the body that governs Congress in extraordinary periods), as well as a member of the reserved expenses commission. Her replacement in the seat, Alda Recas, from Más Madrid, has an extensive resume as a nurse and health activist, so her parliamentary tasks will surely be dedicated to commissions that have more to do with health or social rights.
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