The former deputy of United We Can in Congress, Alberto Rodríguez, announced this Monday the launch of 'Proyecto Drago', a new political and social project outside the purple formation "with an insular vocation" and "of clear Canarian obedience" that has the intention of running for the next elections in May.
In statements to the media, the also former secretary of the Podemos Organization explained that it is a collective initiative that seeks to have "a confederal character in the archipelago that respects the different island diversities and obeys the issues that affect life of the people of the Canary Islands".
Rodríguez pointed out that, together with people from all the islands, they have been working "for quite some time" on the project and that on the web page 'project-drago.info' you can see the aspects in which the "great elements of debate are for the future of the Canary Islands". "And we are not talking about the future in a few months, but rather we believe that we are risking the future of the archipelago for the coming years and decades to come," he observed.
In this way, the former parliamentarian presents a new political platform, as he had already advanced months ago, and he has done so flanked by some supporters of this initiative, including Héctor Morán, who is currently an advisor to the second vice president Yolanda Díaz.
After losing his seat, Rodríguez left the purple party and criticized the fact that the party had not supported him more in the face of the unfair decision of the president of Congress, Meritxell Batet. Precisely this Saturday it was a year since his departure from the chamber and his seat still remains empty, as his relief process is frozen.
He also requested protection from the Constitutional Court against the decision to withdraw the act for violation of his fundamental rights, an appeal that was admitted by the guarantee body and last July the Prosecutor's Office was in favor of giving him protection, thereby opening the door to could repay, but advocated denying it in connection with the conviction.
Here, among these topics of debate are the carrying capacity of the archipelago and demographic limits; tourism growth in a finite territory; o Prices and availability of affordable housing for the local population.
'Proyecto Drago' also sees the need to address issues such as the diversion of public resources into private hands through concerts, especially in education and health; the deficit of the public care system --health, dependency, parenting and mental health--; the democratization and diversification of the media ecosystem; or the Economic and Fiscal Regime.
She also referred to discussing feminism and diversity from the Canary Islands; labor relations in the Canary Islands with a "structural unemployment and alarming loss of purchasing power of wages"; the lack of opportunities for young people; use Canarian culture as a driver of change, migration; or the energy and food model and chronic dependence on foreign countries, among other issues.
"This is just the announcement of the launch. From now on the machinery is going to roll with more force and speed", he stated to insist that they want to present themselves to the next elections in May but that the format and the way in which what they will do will be a collective decision of the project.
Rodríguez made special emphasis that "this is not Alberto Rodríguez's project" although he acknowledged that it is a media "tool" to publicize the initiative. "But it is a collective project," he added.
Asked if they are willing to join platforms like Yolanda Díaz's or others, he commented that they are born without "sectarianism", that 'Proyecto Drago' is going to speak to "many people" and that, in fact, it has already spoken.
"As long as relations are based on respect and respect for the Canarian character and the ability to make decisions in our archipelago, as well as the confederal nature that we have, we will have all the willingness in the world to talk to anyone," he said.
On the other hand, when asked about the situation of his seat in Congress, he asked not to address that issue in order to give more relevance to the announcement of the project.
