• Politics Arrimadas will not resign and organizes a tour of Spain in the fall and an internal referendum after Christmas

  • Politics Arrimadas promotes the "refoundation" of Ciudadanos: change of electoral brand and a renewed program

  • Crisis Leaders of Citizens demand a "refoundation" and Aguado and the critics, an extraordinary congress

Inés Arrimadas saves her continuity as president of Ciudadanos "until" the "refoundation" of the party is completed, within approximately six months, which will imply a change in the electoral brand and the program.

"From then on, it will be the militants who decide everything," she said, placing any decision on the leadership of the

orange

formation at that time .

Faced with this scenario that opens the door to change, she has stressed that her "personal commitment" and that of her team "lasts until the refoundation is made" and that, once completed, neither she nor "any" of the members of your team will be a "problem".

"Neither leaving when we shouldn't leave, leaving this like a wasteland, nor staying when there are people who can do it much better than us," she has said.

In this way, Arrimadas tries to settle the internal debate opened by positions and militants who demanded his resignation and the convening of an extraordinary congress after the debacle suffered in Andalusia.

To analyze the situation and the "very hard" moment, in the words of Arrimadas, who is living Ciudadanos, two very important meetings of the national leadership bodies are taking place this Monday.

On the one hand, the

National Executive Committee

and, on the other, the

General Council

, the highest body between congresses.

It has been in the first of these meetings where Arrimadas has presented his reflections and some decisions in an appearance open to the media.

It is there where she has remarked that resigning and leaving would be "the most comfortable solution", "easy" and "simple" but that she is clear that it would not be "the correct solution" at the moment.

"I have put my position at the disposal of the Executive Committee and everyone has asked me to continue strong promoting the refoundation", she pointed out.

And it is what he wanted to announce mainly.

That the refoundation process has been launched and that it wants to accelerate so that it is completed in six months and thus face the regional and municipal elections of May 2023 in the "best" conditions.

A team coordinated by Villacís

For this, it has announced the constitution of a "political team" that will assume the main tasks of the refoundation, together with a "technical team", and in which Begoña Villacís acquires a very important weight.

The deputy mayor of Madrid will be the political coordinator and liaison for this group with Arrimadas and the party's bodies.

In addition, the Madrid woman places among its members one of her main collaborators, such as

Mariano Fuentes

, also a councilor like her in the Madrid City Council.

With Fuentes will be the deputy for Malaga,

Guillermo Díaz

, who will act as spokesman;

MEP

Adrián Vázquez

, the mayor of Ciudad Real,

Eva Masías

;

the councilman of Santa Coloma

Dimas Gragera

;

the coordinator of Cs in the Balearic Islands,

Patricia Guasp

;

the coordinator of Cs in the Valencian Community,

María Muñoz

.

On the table they have many issues.

One of them is the creation of a platform or a brand to present themselves to the elections, and stop doing it as Citizens.

Perhaps the exception is Catalonia.

Another issue is to deeply renew the electoral program and "update" it to the demands of 2023.

The brand and the program must be endorsed by the militants.

At which point they have also been promised their opinion on "teams" and "leadership."

That is why Arrimadas has set his mandate for six months.

At which time there will be a vote, although it is still unknown in what terms.

Only the militants are promised that they will be given the floor.

external intellectuals

In addition to the constitution of the political team, Arrimadas has announced two other measures within the refoundation process.

One is the opening of a process for the participation of affiliates so that they can propose any initiative or idea at an organizational and programmatic level for a little over two months.

All will be studied and could be "visible" on September 16.

The other announcement is the creation of an "external advisory body".

It wants to be a committee that brings together intellectuals and members of civil society who want to collaborate in some way in refounding the party.

"We want to have the party more open to the Spaniards," said Arrimadas.

In the meantime, and while this process progresses, Ciudadanos is already turning to preparing the municipal candidacies for May, since they consider that it is the party's lifeline.

The "network", Arrimadas has said, is going to be essential to sustain the project.

"They can forgive us the mistakes"

In her speech, the leader of Ciudadanos has not shied away from the crisis or the critical moment facing the party.

And she has done it to assume as never before the "mistakes" made during her and Albert Rivera's stage and that have dragged the

orange

formation to the current situation.

"I am the first person to take on all the mistakes that this game has been able to make," she said.

"If we do our job of refounding, the Spaniards will be able to forgive us for our mistakes and reconnect and trust that party that once inspired them and that once made them get up from the sofa to go vote," she said.

"I want to do it by going back to our essences," Arrimadas continued, recalling that when he emerged in Catalonia he did so by being the "bravest" because he questioned "things that no one dared to question."

"This is how this party is going to be refounded."

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