Adelante Andalucía will put a photograph of Teresa Rodríguez on the ballot for the next 19J regional elections. As Pablo Iglesias already did in the 2014 European elections, in which Podemos burst into Spanish political life, the party led by Rodríguez has made this decision, according to official sources from Adelante, to “eliminate any possibility of confusion by part of those who want to vote for Adelante as well as those who don’t”.
“We understand that there may be some confusion among the left-wing electorate that must be resolved during the campaign. In a democracy it is important that people know what they are voting for. Just as we have made a public call for debates to take place during the campaign, the more better to publicize the proposals; it is also necessary that the electorate recognize the person in whom they place their trust”, the sources assure.
“Faced with a panorama of confusion, which in recent days has worsened, – they add from Adelante, referring to the political alliance of IU, Podemos, Más País, Equo, Alianza Verde and the Andalusian People’s Initiative – we have had to take this decision in an attempt to act with transparency. Putting the initials and the identification of the candidate in this case is an exercise in honesty”.
In this way, Adelante Andalucía is gambling a good part of its electoral expectations on the prestige and pull of Teresa Rodríguez. The polls published so far give them more or less between 0 and 4 seats, depending on which one is chosen, but in Adelante –it is true, it has some air of author’s party– they analyze that Rodríguez still drags votes, beyond what they reflect those polls. “We vote for political projects, but we also vote for people,” say sources from Adelante.
Crucial
With this bet, they also want to avoid a possible flight of votes that could occur towards Podemos, a formation with which there are people who still identify Rodríguez. Indeed, the current leader of Andalusia was one of the MEPs elected in 2014, when Podemos won five seats by surprise, driven by the winds of change, revolution and renewal that emerged from 15M.
“Polls show that there is an important part of the population that wants to vote for Teresa Rodríguez, and that she is the most valued and well-known leader among the left-wing population, therefore it is crucial for us that it is known that she is running for Adelante Andalucía” , they affirm in Forward.
“There are those who for this campaign are going to have huge billboards, propaganda campaigns and rallies paid for with public money or by their friends from the IBEX. Many will try to hide their lack of a project behind their large budgets. This Adelante Andalucía campaign will not depend on banks or a subsidy, but rather it will be a campaign carried out by hand with the militancy of Adelante. We believe that Teresa brings together the values that Adelante represents, which is why we want to facilitate it. Teresa has made a great effort over the years and has been very consistent in defense of Andalusia”, insist the sources of Adelante.
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