Podemos: “We cannot afford four more years of an absolute majority”
Spokesperson Juan López’s calls for a coalition with Compromís have fallen on deaf ears.
Friday 3rd March 2023
Mike Smith
We cannot afford four more years of a socialist government. So says Juan López Vilaplana, spokesperson and mayoral candidate for PODEMOS Xàbia, in a statement released to the press this week which calls for those seeking progression to vote for the left-wing populist party in the forthcoming local elections.
In the statement, López claimed that the best thing for the town will be to join forces with Compromís which shares similar commitment to progression in order to defeat José Chulvi’s PSOE – “we cannot afford four more years of an absolute majority” – and develop a transforming and exciting project for the town.
However, he also claimed that a local government led by the Partido Popular (PP) would be even worse, accusing the party of being a promoter and defender of massive construction in Xàbia, of seeking a possible coalition with the extreme right, and of dismantling what little welfare state remains in the town.
He said that a joint candidacy with Compromís, the left-leaning Valencian nationalist party, would stop the threat of a far-right block and would be able to offer progressive policies and the effective management of Xàbia. Although Compromís has waved away any talk of a coalition at regional level, he called on local party members to “at least sit down to talk to see the best way to join forces,” adding that the people of Xàbia “must be far above partisan interests”. However, he lamented that his suggestion was met with a definitive answer: no.
“We don’t know if the reason is because it responds to policy on a national level or because they simple don’t see it clearly at the municipal level,” he said, adding that, whilst this lost opportunity was regretful, the decision was respected as they considered Compromís as a political force that they would continue to see as an ally.
He concluded by declaring that “[Podemos Xàbia is] going to continue with [its] work, charged with energy and hope, and although we have not been able to build a single progressive candidacy, we assure you that on 28M (Sunday 28th May, the date of the local elections), all progressive voters will go to the ballot box”.
