The president of the Balearic Government, Francina Armengol, announced on Saturday that she will be the candidate of the socialists of the Balearic Islands in the next general elections.
Armengol will soon leave the presidency after the victory of the PP in the last autonomous elections, in which Marga Prohens, the popular candidate, won, who prevailed in the main institutions of the community, the Parliament, the four island councils and the City Council of Palma.
Armengol called a meeting of the political council of the Socialists of the Islands on Saturday to analyze the result of the elections, in which the PSOE has lost a deputy, despite the fact that it has remained in votes. The still Balearic president announced to her militancy that she decides to take this step forward because of the importance these general elections will have. "This is not the time to profile", he said.
Armengol's decision coincides with the desire of the socialist party leadership to include in the lists for the general elections leaders of the formation who have lost governments after the autonomous and municipal elections of May 28, such as Armengol himself , Concha Andre, Antonio Muñoz or Óscar Puente.
Socialist sources have explained to the EFE agency that in some cases there have already been contacts with these leaders to find out if they are interested in being added to the lists of Congress and the Senate.
Armengol could be one of the first to take this path. The acting Balearic president considered yesterday, in her intervention before the militancy after the meeting of the political council, that the calling of general elections was a right decision and pointed out that it will be a moment for the citizens to decide between "the parties that want to move forward and those that want to go back 40 years". "The PSOE is the only instrument that can stop a regressive government", he said.
The leadership of the Socialists of the Islands supports Armengol's decision, although his departure opens up a series of unknowns in Balearic politics. From now on, it will be necessary to define who remains at the head of the parliamentary group, since the position of deputy in Congress is incompatible with that of deputy in an autonomous parliament.
It is also not known if she will be the one to give the reply to Prohens in the investiture session, which is to be held in the first week of July.
Armengol will continue as general secretary of the Socialists of the Balearic Islands, but also her departure to Congress suggests a progressive withdrawal from the first political line of the Islands.
This move makes it clear and clean that she will not be the one to head the regional lists in 2027, so that the succession phase of who has been leader of the Balearic Socialists has just opened, unofficially.
In any case, it is taken for granted that Armengol will try to lead a peaceful succession from his position in the Congress of Deputies, but the strong leadership he has exerted during all these years complicates the search for a clear successor in the ranks of the Balearic PSOE . The president of the Socialists of Mallorca, Catalina Cladera, is the best placed for the succession, but she does not have the unanimous support of the militancy.
Armengol is one of the socialist baronesses who has always shown her support for Pedro Sánchez since the moment the Federal Committee brought about the downfall of the then leader of the PSOE. His relations with the general secretary of the Socialists have been very good. She defines herself as a person loyal to Pedro Sánchez.
