The PSOE federal executive on Monday unanimously approved the appointment of the Deputy Secretary General, Elena Valenciano, head of the list for the European elections on 25 May. That designation, which had advanced game on Sunday an official note shall be endorsed by the federal committee in March.
Valenciano has stressed that the decision is a "gesture" to make clear " the importance the PSOE gives these elections." " The ideological battle was lost at the time and must be recovered. Europe is no longer a military battlefield, but a great ideological battleground. Whatever happens in this election will have effect for decades. This election is the last chance to correct European economic policy. PSOE will put all the eggs in one basket. " she said. Therefore, he added, the PSOE will have "a number one in the Carrera de San Jeronimo [ seat Congress of Deputies ] and number two in Brussels".
Asked about the possibility that his departure left in a position of weakness to the secretary general, Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba, Valenciano said: " No it plays Rubalcaba, the PSOE playing Europe, Spain and the PSOE, in that order. ". The Deputy Secretary General will continue in that capacity and will combine with that of MEP: "I'll be able to do because I'm a hard worker." Neither she nor the secretary of Oscar Lopez, wanted to reveal more names from the list of European socialist, but Valencia has suggested that RamÃ_n Jáuregui and Juan Fernando LÃ_pez Aguilar (former head of the list) will be in it.
Lopez himself Aguilar, who had publicly expressed his desire to repeat as head of list, today was brief to assess the decision of the federal executive to replace Valenciano: "It is a decision that is not for me, so from that I do not answer. Simply fit and keep working, "he said in RNE.
Already from early in the morning, Deputy Secretary General of the party has received the public support of several colleagues. The secretary general of the PSE, Patxi LÃ_pez, has argued that the designation shows the "importance " that socialists give these elections. " It's all the PSOE who plays in these elections, the entire European social democratic project and, basically, I think is the Spanish citizenship who plays in this election," he noted. Thus, it has ruled out a "flight " to Brussels in number two Rubalcaba, before the upcoming primaries to elect the candidate for Prime Minister.
The secretary general of the PSOE in Extremadura, Guillermo Fernández Vara, has also welcomed this choice he was " convinced" that " will Extremadura " in the list. And the secretary of the Andalusian PSOE, Juan Cornejo, stressed that (the most powerful party) socialist federation of Andalusia, " fully " supports the designation of Valencian as a candidate. The deputy for Vigo Carmela Silva has said that Valenciano is the "best " candidate who could present the PSOE to lead the European list and has argued that it is demonstrated that the Socialists are committed " by a strong Europe."
Javier Solana: " You will be remembered"
European social democrats also received encouragement Valenciano. The Spanish former minister and former secretary general of NATO and former High Representative for Foreign Affairs of the EU, Javier Solana, has written on his Twitter account: "Go back a good European Parliamentary EP [ European Parliament]. You will be remembered. Elena cheerfully. " Valenciano was MEP (his first position in politics) between 1999 and 2008.
The President of the European Parliament and future social democratic candidate to the European Commission, Martin Schulz, has welcomed the candidate of the PSOE in a joint press release with the President of the European Socialists, Sergei Stanishev: "There are many challenges ahead for getting reconciled to the Spanish citizens with EU expectations are high and are justified, I'm glad that Elena will lead the race of Spaniards towards a new European socialist " said the statement, which also underlines the political fight Valenciano against bill of abortion in Spain, " leading the PES member parties and activists in their protests in Madrid and throughout Europe."
President of the Group of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament, Hannes Swoboda, and the president of PES Women (Women European Socialists), Zita Gurmai, have also expressed their joy at the decision: "It's great that a feminist and pro-European tops the list of the PSOE "wrote Gurmai on Twitter.
Tags: candidacy, executive, received, support, unanimous, Valenciano