Luis Ángel Hierro, a professor of Public Economics at the University of Seville, has announced his intention to run for the position of Secretary General of the Andalusian branch of the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE) next Tuesday. Hierro previously ran in the previous primaries against the current Secretary General, Juan Espadas, and former President of the Junta de Andalucía, Susana Díaz. Despite receiving only 5% of the votes in the previous primaries, Hierro believes that it is important to promote internal competition within the party. He highlights the need for more than one candidate in order to ensure meaningful participation of the party membership in the selection process.
In a letter explaining his decision, Hierro criticizes the focus on personal conflicts in the media and expresses concern over the lack of competition in the upcoming elections. He notes that the current Secretary General, Juan Espadas, is the only candidate to have expressed interest in running for the position so far. Hierro believes that the recently approved party regulations for the election of the Secretary General restrict the democratic participation of the party members, as they will not have the opportunity to vote if there is only one candidate. Thus, he sees his candidacy as a way to challenge the lack of internal democracy within the party and create a more open and competitive election process.
Hierro has previously competed in the 2014 primaries, where he ran against Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba, who ultimately won the election. The deadline for submitting precandidatures for the position of Secretary General of the PSOE in Andalucía is from January 7th to 10th at 2:00 PM. According to the new party statutes, candidates must gather signatures from 12% of the party membership, which amounts to 40,138 in the Andalusian branch. Hierro estimates that he would need the support of 4,900 party members in order to qualify as a candidate.
In the Andalusian branch of the PSOE, there is already speculation about the potential replacement of Juan Espadas as Secretary General, with many pointing towards María Jesús Montero, the First Vice President, Minister of Finance, and Deputy Secretary General of the PSOE, as a likely successor. Despite these rumors, Hierro’s decision to run for the position adds a new dynamic to the upcoming party elections and underscores the importance of having multiple candidates to ensure a more democratic and competitive process. It remains to be seen how the competition for the leadership of the PSOE in Andalucía will unfold in the coming days and what impact Hierro’s candidacy will have on the overall dynamics of the party.
