"The simple fact that the leadership of a vice president is being questioned shows that Compromís already has a problem." This phrase from an Initiative leader shows the rift that has opened up in the party. A fissure that threatens the political career of Vice President Aitana Mas who, according to some sources, would have stated in an internal meeting that if she is not the head of the list for Alicante, her continuity in office would be considered.
This situation could cause a crisis not only in Compromís, but also in the Valencian government a few months before the elections. Although from Més Compromís they trust that Aitana Mas (of Initiative) will be the final winner, they admit that the result will be "very even". For this reason, the expectation that the coalition primaries have unleashed among its government partners is not surprising.
The registration in the census is so that supporters of Mas have doubts. In Alicante, 13,172 voters have the right to vote, including militants, sympathizers and those registered in the primary process. Of these, 3,500 are from the Marina Alta, the region of the spokesperson for Compromís in the Alicante Provincial Council and rival of Mas, Gerard Fullana; and 3,300 from Elche, the city controlled by Pasqual and Mireia Mollà, one of the founders of Iniciativa and the former Minister of Agriculture that the vice president dismissed. Of those 6,800 voters, the majority would not put Aitana Mas as number one on the list.
However, they explain from Més Compromís to La Vanguardia, the order of the leadership is that a part of its militants does do it and that the rest put it as second on the list, which would also give them points. It is precisely this option that can lead the vice president to an agonizing victory; and it is that Fullana's supporters, in principle, will give points to Mas, but not the other way around. The paradox may arise that more people want Fullana at the top of the list but that Mas achieves more global points by adding many number twos. It will also be necessary to see how those registered in Elche respond if they choose to go for Mas or try to place their candidate Marina González on the list.
Be that as it may, the truth is that the open struggle and the inability to reach an agreement -it is pointed out that on up to three occasions there were approaches between Fullana and Mas- denotes the fracture in the province. The spokesperson in the Diputación has wanted to mark territory and Mas has trusted that she would be voted for being the vice president.
In addition, the primary campaign has only made things tense. In Més they accuse the Iniciativa leader of having rejected agreements with Fullana and seeking compromises with other leaders less sympathetic to the Més leadership and of not making a great effort or having gained sympathy in the province. They give the example that in the small town of Xaló -the town of Fullana- there are almost as many registered as in Crevilent -the municipality of Mas, which has 10 times more inhabitants.
For their part, those around the vice president still do not understand that a rival has been placed for Mas and that Més Compromís chooses to win the three heads of the list with three men. His coalition partners remind him that Mas appeared against Minister Rafael Climent and then they did not see it as a disavowal.
Crosses of accusations that do nothing more than show that, in the province where Compromís suffers the most electorally and which according to all the polls will be key, the coalition is experiencing moments of great internal tension.
