The TS annuls a Podemos agreement in the 2015 primaries in Madrid for violating the rights of belief of candidates

MADRID, 24 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Supreme Court (TS) has declared null and void the agreement of the Madrid Citizen Council of Podemos --approved in March 2015-- in which it was decided not to endorse the 'Madrid Integral y Democrático' list for the primary process for the candidacy that he had to concur for 'Now Madrid' in the elections to the Madrid City Council.

The magistrates have considered that the 'purple' formation violated the rights of association and freedom of belief of the members of the candidacy by not endorsing the list - linked to the esoteric school - under the argument that it was not consistent with the principles of the ethical document of Podemos.

In a sentence, collected by Europa Press, the Civil Chamber has assured that although it is "logical" that each party demands "ideological coherence" from its affiliates, they "preserve" their "freedom of belief" and cannot "be expelled" for it or see their right to participate in political formation "limited".

According to the resolution, the list of 'Madrid Integral y Democrático' in which the plaintiffs were integrated was endorsed by the 'circle' of Podemos de Vallecas and some of its members were also endorsed individually by other 'circles' of that political party. However, the party's Madrid Citizen Council agreed not to endorse them.

Podemos said that it had found that the list was linked to the 'Prometeus' School --defined as esoteric and initiatory--. And he argued that he had the right not to validate the candidacies that he considered far from the representation of his political interests or from his ethical document, in which he promotes secularism.

The High Court has considered that there has been no "reasonable justification for the contradiction between the beliefs of the members and the ideological and programmatic principles of the party", for which, in its opinion, the right of participation of the members has been limited in the primaries to the Madrid City Council for "professing certain beliefs".

Although the Supreme Court has declared the agreement null, it has not annulled the primaries, since the municipal elections were held in 2015 and the councilors and the mayor have been renewed in the May 2019 elections.

Thus, the Civil Chamber has partially upheld the appeal of the members of 'Madrid Integral y Democrático' and has revoked the decision of the Provincial Court of Madrid to endorse the ruling of the Court of First Instance that had given the reason to we can