Odón Elorza abandons politics, at least for the moment. The veteran Basque politician has announced that he has informed the leadership of the PSOE and his colleagues in Congress that he has resigned from his seat, considering that his ideas "are no longer useful in the party."
"This resignation is intended to be a gesture of loyalty to the Socialist Party and, at the same time, consistency with my ideals. I want to enjoy life with more time and freedom, without any other discipline than that dictated by my convictions," he said.
Elorza's resignation comes after he lost the primaries at the end of the year to be the PSE candidate for Mayor of Donostia/San Sebastián. Then, he had faced the candidate supported by the leadership of the party in Euskadi, Marisol Garmendia.
The one who was mayor of San Sebastián for 20 years (from 1991 to 2011) had distanced himself from the direction of the group in specific matters. The last time he went for not supporting the candidates that PSOE and PP agreed to for the Constitutional Court, which is why he was fined.
In the statement announcing his resignation from the act of deputy, Elorza points out that he has verified that his contributions are not well received in the party, something that has been key when making the decision.
"Sorry if I ever failed you and if my voice went out of tune. I have verified that my contributions and parliamentary initiatives, as spokesperson for the Constitutional Party, have not been useful for some time to the Socialist Group. For this reason, and to avoid disagreements, it is the vital moment to step aside ”, he points out.
The veteran socialist militant also indicates that he will continue to be committed to the fight for the defense of democracy "against the advance of the reactionary right."
“I will continue to trust the leftist coalition government and its socioeconomic, fiscal and redistributive policies in the face of the crisis. Also count on my commitment to actively fight in defense of democracy against the advance of a reactionary and Trumpist right, as well as in defense of civic rights in San Sebastián ”, he indicates.
In addition to being mayor of Donostia for two decades, Odón Elorza was a councilor in this consistory for another 12 years, a member of the Basque Parliament for two legislatures and a deputy in the Congress of Deputies for the last 11 years, since December 2011. Within the PSOE , has been Secretary of Transparency and Participatory Democracy between 2017 and 2021.
