The attempt to rearmament undertaken by Podemos from the bases after its electoral disaster in the double appointment with the polls of May - regional and local - and July - general - has crystallized this Saturday with the celebration of the Political Conference of the formation with which has made its change of strategy official. The purple militancy has endorsed the political document for this new stage by which it claims its autonomy from Sumar and establishes holding open primaries "without vetoes" as a condition for reaching electoral agreements.
"Enough of disrespecting Podemos," summarized the party leader and acting minister of Social Rights and Agenda 2030, Ione Belarra, during her speech. The approved text defines the party as "an autonomous political force with its own voice", rejects double militancy out of "respect" for other political forces and assures that "in no case will it dissolve into another party." An explicit reminder to PSOE and Sumar that their five deputies will have their own "autonomy" in the new legislature
In a speech without allusions to Sumar, the general secretary of Podemos denounced the existence of an "operation" during the last two years "that had the objective of replacing Podemos with a left subservient to the regime, that does not bother the economic or political power." .
In total, almost 31,000 activists participated in the consultation that took place on November 2 and 3, of which 26,741 (86.59%) voted in favor of the Podemos political document, conceived as a guide for action. for this new stage. The figure, however, is approximately half of what the alliance with Sumar voted in June (52,829 militants).
In the midst of the doubts generated by having voted for a change in strategy outside the state Citizen Assembly, as stated in its statutes, Belarra has established three conditions to reach electoral agreements with other forces: that it be "useful", that there be "respect mutual autonomy" and that the candidate lists "are always formed through open primaries without restrictions and without vetoes".
The deputy for Podemos in the General Assembly of the Principality of Asturias, Covadonga Tomé, has been one of the most critical purple leaders, openly accusing Belarra of "hiding behind militancy to silence critical voices of the party." The parliamentarian maintains that it is necessary to recover the "initial spirit" of Podemos with a "real" participation of the militancy and not "with specific consultations to reinforce the positions of Ione Belarra."
The final version of the text praises, among others, the feminist advances achieved in the previous legislature and, consequently, defines Irene Montero as an "international reference" who "should continue to lead the Ministry of Equality", redoubling the commitment of the training to be in the future executive in the figure of your number two.
In the amendments that were presented to the document, a part of the militancy expressed its discomfort with Sumar and its leader, second vice president Yolanda Díaz. Thus, among the proposals that were raised by those registered in the process, reproaches were directed at Díaz. "It does not represent us", "uncovering disloyalty towards Podemos", "perplexity at Sumar's approach to the PSOE", "Never again with Sumar", " Podemos has to be the counterweight to Yolanda Díaz within Sumar" or "I will never return to support Yolanda Díaz" are some of the references that appeared in the amendments.
