Without surprises and with less tension than expected, given the pressure that the right has subjected the socialist party to in recent days, finally the EH Bildu councilor Joseba Asiron has regained the mayor's office of Pamplona after the motion of censure against Cristina was successful. Ibarrola (UPN) agreed between the Aberzale formation and the PSN and which has had the support of Geroa Bai and Contigo-Zurekin, in an extraordinary plenary session marked by the indignation of the now former mayor, who has gone so far as to say that "it would never be" councilor with Bildu votes and who would prefer to "scrub stairs." A phrase that has earned him the disapproval of the PSOE, Sumar and Podemos.
The motion has been approved in an extraordinary plenary session of the City Council of the Navarrese capital by 15 votes in favor and 11 against by the 26 of the 27 councilors present in the Consistory, after which Asiron, who already held the baton of command of the Navarrese capital between 2015 and 2019, has promised and has taken office. Already as mayor and presiding over the plenary session, the Abertzale councilor has taken the floor to thank the "progressive" groups that have supported the change and has expressed three commitments that will be pillars in his government action to "open a new time" in the city. Commitments, he has said, with "the search for consensus", with the "respect with which he thinks differently" and with "coexistence".
After closing the session, the new mayor went out to the balcony of the City Hall to celebrate with thousands of people from Pamplona who were waiting in the square and chanted in favor of EH Bildu.
The plenary session began with a bitter discussion between the different spokespersons and the president of the old table, Koldo Martínez (Geroa Bai), over the speaking times of those who had to intervene. While the president has maintained that the turns would be six minutes for the mayor and the candidate, the groups that opposed the motion demanded ten minutes. "They have stolen our word," the mayor later denounced at a press conference, who was the first to speak in plenary after Asiron himself resigned from her turn.
Ibarrola has assured that he leaves with his head "very high" in the face of what he has called Pamplona a "macabre work of betrayal" and has taken the opportunity to attack the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, who "like Judas Iscariot sells Pamplona for six votes." of Bildu" after considering that the only reason for evicting it has been the investiture of the head of the Executive. The former mayor has considered that the motion of censure represents "a historic milestone" because the socialist party "for the first time awards a great prize" to EH Bildu, to the "heirs of those who have done so much damage to this country." He finally said goodbye with a thank you to his team and the people of Pamplona.
The socialist spokesperson, Marina Curiel, for her part has accused Ibarrola of having carried out "an arrogant, unilateral and opaque political action, oblivious to listening and dialogue, continually belittling the rest of the political forces" and has assured that UPN " have never wanted to reach agreements and have been incapable of approving the budgets. She has also denounced the accusations and insults of which, in her opinion, PSN councilors have been victims by UPN. "Not everything goes in political discourse," lamented the socialist spokesperson, who wanted to make it clear that the agreement paves the way for a "responsible policy to change things", which is "transparent" and which "is made up of ethical principles." , democratic values and city projects".
He has also confirmed that the PSN will not be in the government of Joseba Asiron in which Abertzales councilors, Geroa Bai and Contigo-Zurekin will be present, but he has assured that the PSN will be "the driving force" to transform the city.
Unlike 2015 when Asiron came to power with three less councilors from his formation, but with support, sufficient for the majority, the equation to make an alternative to UPN possible has required the support of the PSN councilors, the brand of the socialists in Navarra. A relevant difference that has allowed the right to find a new flank to attack the PSOE.
For his part, from the Popular Party, the also deputy Carlos García Adanero intervened to disfigure the PSOE, especially Sánchez, who with this action “finish their job of whitewashing” EH Bildu that began four years ago.
Cristina Ibarrola has occupied the mayor's office for just over six months, who with the 9 votes of UPN and the usual support of the 2 of the PP has constantly collided during this time against the wall of the 16 of the opposition (8 councilors of EH Bildu, 5 from the PSN, 2 from Geroa Bai and 1 from Contigo-Zurekin), which in the June constitution of the City Council that came out of the polls did not have the approach that has now taken shape to add a majority.
It has not been without difficulties, from the criticism coming from the entire right wing, both in Navarra and at the national level, which links the EH Bildu and PSN agreement with the investiture of Pedro Sánchez, to the last minute problems. The most obvious, the resignation - according to the PSN due to "pressure" from UPN - to take office of the socialist councilor who was supposed to replace Elma Saiz, the until recently spokesperson for the municipal group who already serves as Minister of Inclusion, Social Security and Migrations. She has also resigned the next one on the list, in this case due to work issues. It will not be until a next plenary session when the socialist municipal group recovers its five councilors, although the absence of one of them has not jeopardized the majority expected to invest Joseba Asiron today.
In her last hours as mayor of Pamplona, Ibarrola has given her "heartfelt thanks" to the people of Pamplona in an article spread through the Navarrese newspapers in which she maintains that what "we are experiencing is not and should not be political normality." . "Using the tools of democracy in the wrong way, as is happening with this motion of censure, should never be good news," she maintains.
