Belarra chooses Pablo Fernández as 'number three' of Podemos, who admits that Verstrynge's departure surprised them

The party, despite losing a seat, highlights that its votes in Congress continue to be decisive in Congress

The general secretary of Podemos, Ione Belarra, has chosen the co-spokesperson, Pablo Fernández, as the party's new Secretary of Organization, following the resignation of the party's former number three Lilith Verstrynge this past Friday.

Precisely, Fernández himself has acknowledged in a press conference that Verstrynge's resignation, which they frame for personal reasons and to whom he has thanked her for her work during these years, surprised them and caught the party as "unforeseen."

The election of Fernández for this position, one of the most sensitive in the party, has been raised by Belarra in an extraordinary meeting of the State Citizen Council, a body that will ratify this afternoon his promotion as 'number three' of the party.

In this way, he will become the fifth Secretary of Organization of the party, after Sergio Pascual, Pablo Echenique, Alberto Rodríguez and Verstrynge herself held that position.

Precisely Fernández, who is also the regional coordinator in Castilla y León and a deputy in the regional parliament, has confirmed that he is going to make his new task in training compatible with the positions he already holds.

And, apart from being co-spokesperson, he also appears in third place on former minister Irene Montero's list for the Podemos primaries to choose candidates for the European elections.

The departure of Verstrynge, who also leaves his place in the Estayal Citizen Council, meant reducing the representation of Podemos in Congress to four deputies and his seat is recovered by Sumar, which will bring the plurinational group from 26 to 27 parliamentarians.

The replacement of the purple leader will be the leader of En Comú Podem Candela Lópezm, being the next on the list of Sumar for Barcelona in the 23J elections, where the former secretary of Purple Organization ran in the number four position before the tie was broken. coalition between morados and Yolanda Díaz's project.

However, Fernández has rejected that the loss of that seat weakens Podemos's position in making demands on the Government, proclaiming that its four votes in Congress continue to be "decisive", "essential" and "fundamental" for the Executive in the face of to future votes on laws.

STRENGTHENING WE CAN IN THE TERRITORY IS THE CHALLENGE

Fernández has also explained that he assumes his appointment with "desire and enthusiasm", and that one of his main objectives is to continue the task of strengthening Podemos in the territories, given that it is necessary to maintain roots and structure in the autonomous communities.

Fernández has said that the electoral milestones in Galicia, Euskadi and the European elections are another of the issues where they will be focused and questioned about whether there will be a unity candidacy in the Basque Country, he has insisted that the regional leadership has the decision and that it will be necessary to See how things go with Sumar in the future.

The party emphasizes that the reasons for his resignation are up to Verstrynge alone to explain, although any type of discrepancy with the political line of the organization, in whose decision-making he participated, is ruled out. Thus, from purple sources they once again allude, like last Friday, to health problems.

As for seeing their representation in Congress diminished, in the purple ranks they insist that the Executive needs their votes if it wants to approve its projects with ease and they understand that, after the votes on the first decrees, they will not risk getting them out with the margin of one vote.