Oviedo (EFE).- Asturias, one of the only two communities in socialist hands, must be the object of a “solid, progressive and bold” project in the medium and long term, as stated on Tuesday by the acting president of the Principality and candidate to re-election, Adrián Barbón, who has offered consensus to the rest of the parliamentary groups, regardless of whether he reaches a government pact with the IU.
The investiture process for Barbón began today at the Principality’s General Meeting with a speech in which, over 80 minutes, he outlined his government program for the next four years and in which he offered the opposition broad consensus on the demographic challenge, mental health, infrastructures, regional financing and social agreement.
In his speech, Barbón has also defended a pact to shield equality policies and the fight against sexist violence and has attacked Vox, which as a result of the May 28 elections has become the third political force in Asturias.
After acknowledging that he is “very aware” of what he says and the dates on which he says it, less than a week before the general elections, Barbón has affirmed that his government “will not help to launder a force that makes the banner of the reaction”, just as a conservative like German Chancellor Angela Merkel did in her day.
Construction of a “strong and stable” government
In his opinion, Asturias must remain “safe from political involution” and that the understanding that he seeks with IU-Convocatoria por Asturias to form a “strong, stable and progressive government” is compatible with a “permanent willingness to dialogue” with other parliamentary groups.
The investiture debate will continue tomorrow with the positioning of all the parliamentary groups and the subsequent vote of the only candidate for the presidency of the Principality, since the popular leader, Diego Canga, finally decided not to appear given the arithmetic of the Asturian Chamber.
Pending the vote of Podemos
Barbón has the support of the 19 socialist deputies and the three from the IU, a formation with which he continues to negotiate a coalition government that intends to take office on August 1, but needs the support of the only deputy from Podemos, Covadonga Tomé, to be elected on the first ballot by an absolute majority -a minimum of 23 of the 45 deputies of the Chamber-.
Although Podemos agreed this weekend to support Barbón’s investiture, his deputy, in conflict with the regional leadership, has called an open assembly for today to decide whether to finally vote in favor or abstain -the regulation prevents voting against-, in which Barbón case would have to wait until Friday to be re-elected president by simple majority. EFE