He was at the helm of Ciudadanos for eight months. The national spokeswoman and president of the CS, Patricia Guasp, announced this Sunday that she is retiring from politics to resume her professional activity from September 1st, resigning the management of training, like the president herself expressed in a statement. “It is a very difficult decision because there is no greater honor and responsibility than to defend what one believes in, the political center, progressive liberal principles and values based on individual freedoms and equal opportunities,” the statement said Text that Guasp shared on her social networks. The party did not run in the general elections on July 23 after suffering the umpteenth debacle in the regional elections on May 28, a decision Guasp, as part of the Ciudadanos-led executive, has supported since last January when she the internal primaries before CS were won by the then deputy speaker of the parliament, Edmundo Bal.
With a list endorsed by former President of Ciudadanos Inés Arrimadas, Guasp participated in the primary election process alongside the formation’s MEP Adrián Vázquez, current Secretary General of Ciudadanos. “Thank you for your work, your commitment and your values. Good luck in your next career path,” Vázquez wrote on Twitter of his partner. The leader is now the party’s supreme authority following Guasp’s resignation, raising questions about the future of CS, already weighed down by dismal election results and having failed to present a candidacy for 23-J, prompting its disappearance from the parliamentary sphere certified by Congress.
The previous political spokesman ran for the Balearic Islands government at 28-M but remained without a seat. “My greatest support goes to all the officers who continue to defend our liberal values, community by community, territory by territory. And of course I feel eternal pride for all those who, like me, presented themselves under the acronym CS in such difficult times, to sow the defense of the Spanish liberal center project,” adds Guasp in his late hour farewell letter previously from the Balearic newspaper Última hello. The spokeswoman was previously on leave from PwC, a position she will be returning to shortly and, while no longer holding, will continue to serve as a subsidiary of CS.
Ciudadanos had no representation in any of the twelve autonomies that held elections on May 28, falling from 1,989,566 votes (8.73%) in the 2019 municipal elections to 301,166 votes (1.35%), making them seventh occupied place. Retaining only 392 councillors, it was eliminated from all provincial capitals except Ciudad Real.
Following the results of 23-J and the possibility of a re-election in the event that the inauguration of Pedro Sánchez or Alberto Núñez Feijóo does not materialize, some party leaders have publicly announced that if these second elections were to be held, some party leaders should have Ciudadanos participate, such as Anna Grau, head of formation in Catalonia and speaker in Parliament. Those close to Guasp pointed out that the political spokeswoman had expressed her doubts as to whether not taking part in the 23-Y was an unwise decision. It was Adrián Vázquez and not Guasp who declared in a press conference that the formation for the general elections was ruled out. Of course, during the performance, the MEP was surrounded by the rest of the executive, including Guasp. On the other hand, CS leaders like Edmundo Bal or Francisco Igeal sharply criticized the announcement and rebelled against the leadership.
Later, and despite the information blackout that the party has been maintaining since the executive made a blanket announcement that it would not be taking part in the general elections, Guasp has been very active on social media, criticizing both the PSOE and the PP. “Extremists and exclusive nationalists will never be the solution. “Spain needs a transformative, reformist, liberal and progressive project, defended from the political center, so that our democratic system stops further dividing and collectivizing the Spaniards,” Guasp continues in his statement. “I firmly believe that bipartisanship, supported by extremists and exclusive nationalists, will never be the solution. “Spain needs a transformative, reformist, liberal and progressive project, defended by the political center, so that our democratic system stops dividing and collectivizing the Spanish people,” he stresses.
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Dear members and voters of Ciudadanos,
I would like to share with you the decision to return to work in the private sector.
It has been an honor for me to serve my country’s politics with coherence and conviction and to be the voice of the only liberal center project in Spain. pic.twitter.com/MSfVS2iNgP
— Patricia Guasp 🇪🇺 (@PatriciaGuaspB) August 20, 2023
Ciudadanos maintains only regional representation in the courts of Castile and León with former vice-president of the municipality Francisco Igea as sole advocate, in the Basque Parliament with MP José Manuel Gil and in the Catalan Parliament with six MPs led by Anna Grau. There are also five MEPs in Brussels. In the Formation Statutes, Article 76.2 states that “if, for any urgent reason, he permanently ceases his activity, the National Committee shall meet, with the consent of a simple majority of the General Council, within a maximum period of thirty days per primary.” Procedure for renewing the position of the political speaker. The entire electoral process is subject to the conditions and guarantees set out in the primary order.” Arrimadas and former deputy mayor of Madrid Begoña Villacís also retired from politics after May 28.