The name of the former president of the Community of Madrid, Joaquin Leguina, is resonating strongly for the last few hours. This Tuesday the result of the file opened last year by the federal leadership of the PSOE against him was known. The reason, his support for the regional president Isabel Diaz Ayuso during the electoral campaign of the year 2021. The process has been resolved with the expulsion as a militant of a former leader who has been very critical of his own party for many years and especially of the current President of the Government and Secretary General, Pedro Sanchez.
The history of the file began in April of last year. By surprise, Ayuso was photographed on April 22 with Leguina and also with another former PSOE leader, Nicolas Redondo Terreros. “They are two political references that I greatly appreciate,” said the regional president in the framework of a meeting at the headquarters of the Alma Tecnológica Foundation. There were less than 15 days left for the elections.
Leguina did not stop there. The next day, the newspaper The reason published an interview with the informative hanger precisely of this meeting. “Is the PP the best option for Madrid?” Asked the journalist. “It is the least bad option of course. It is a center-right liberal party and Ayuso has some special values that must be highlighted. It is worth supporting it,” Leguina replied.
Next criticized his own party, especially Sánchez. “The PSOE is my party, but it is not. It is the party whose owner is Pedro Sánchez. I have respect for Gabilondo because he was Minister of Education in my time, but you see, he said that he would never agree with Iglesias and in the debate electoral backsliding. Now it is in the hands of Iván Redondo and company and I don’t want to know anything about them,” he said.
The PSOE Guarantees Committee has resolved the file with a lot of delay. It is based on the party’s Statutes, ratified in October last year at the 40th Federal Congress held in Valencia. Article 9 establishes the conditions that must be met for the loss of affiliate status. In section “f” the following can be read: “The performance of acts of political communication, propaganda or request to vote publicly, through any form or scope of dissemination, in favor of other political formations or groups of voterswhen the PSOE attends the same electoral process that conflicts with the electoral interests of the PSOE”.
The file was opened to Leguina at the beginning of May, already with the interview in La Razón and other statements circulating. A file was also opened for Redondo at that time, but it was later archived as it was considered that he had not asked for the vote or made propaganda in favor of Ayuso. Something that according to Leguina’s words does seem evident in his case.
