Former deputy and director of the Drago project, Alberto Rodríguez, during an interview last October in Fasnia (Santa Cruz de Tenerife) RAFA AVERO
Proyecto Drago, the space promoted by the former number three of Podemos Alberto Rodríguez, joins the party alliance of Más País. Led by the last secretary of the organization, Pablo Iglesias, the “Canarian Obedience” platform moves further away from its previous formation, thereby joining the “space of cooperation” of the Turia Agreement, which includes the organization of Íñigo Errejón, Compromís, Més per Mallorca, Chunta Aragonesista, Verdes Equo, Coalition for Melilla and Movement for Dignity and Citizenship in Ceuta. The pact comes in the midst of negotiations to define the candidatures for the regional elections in the Canary Islands, for which Rodríguez has already announced his intention to run as the list leader of his project, and will come into force in the configuration of Sumar—by Vice President Yolanda Díaz — for the generals.
In a statement ratifying the axes of the Proyecto Drago – a “purely Canarian” decision-making framework, the “confederation” of the archipelago and the “model change” on the islands – the platform confirms its inclusion in the space: “We give the beginning aware of our participation in the Turia Accords. From now on we will bring in it the political vision of the Canarian reality and directly the concerns and desires of an important part of society for justice and the need to respect our people on an equal footing with other territories suffering in different ways from the centralism and unifying push of the various de facto state powers,” the text states.
Proyecto Drago is therefore open to collaboration “on an equal footing” with forces that defend “effective self-government in the territories, an unquestionable defense of public services and an ecological model of transition and production that is fair to the citizens”, adds.
The new alliance comes into force and threatens to complicate the ongoing negotiations. Más País has been in talks with Podemos, IU, Sí se Puede and Equo for months to seek a joint candidacy for the May 28 regional and local elections in the Canary Islands, but no agreement has yet been reached. When Rodríguez announced his intention to present himself as a presidential candidate last December, Podemos’ leadership from Madrid set limits: “We have the best candidate, Noemí Santana [actual consejera de Derechos Sociales]and we are convinced that it will be able to articulate a project of left unity so plural, diverse and representative of the social reality in the Canary Islands,” said one of the party’s spokesmen, Pablo Fernández, on the same day .
In an interview last week on Radio Club Tenerife, Rodríguez opened up again to collusion with other organizations. “If there is broad agreement with Canarian society and with the multitude of political forces that are there that are not just four or five [en referencia a la mesa de partidos en marcha] We are ready to agree on everything. If it is agreed in this room that instead of being a presidential candidate, Alberto Rodríguez must be the one who puts up the posters because there is a much more powerful candidacy from civil society or the world of culture, Alberto Rodríguez will put up posters in the election campaign.” he explained.
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The alliance with Errejón’s party, which completely reconfigures the space to the left of the PSOE, has repercussions beyond the archipelago. Díaz has spent months building his own project, Sumar, into which he hopes to integrate the party and allies of Podemos’ former founder. The vice president also maintains a good relationship with Rodríguez, who left the formation very upset in October 2021, just a day after Congress President Meritxell Batet withdrew the deputy’s file following the verdict imposed by the colonel.
Turia Accord sources define their project as “collaborative” and “cooperative” in which different political forces form “the same political space” and underscore the “harmony” between the platform led by Rodríguez and the rest of the parties. “Step by step, the Turia is growing, adding political and territorial forces,” the same sources warn. Errejón’s alliance is strengthening in a pivotal election year and with several negotiations ahead.