The internal crisis within the PSOE in Alcalá de Henares has significantly escalated. The "Militantes por Primarias" (Members for Primaries) platform, backed by over 300 signatures from affiliates, has sent a document to the PSOE's federal leadership requesting an Assembly to elect a new local leadership and end the current provisional status.
This initiative comes just one day after the Caretaker Committee, chaired by Cristina González, requested an extension of its mandate, a request still pending federal authorization. The proponents of the letter argue that the more than one hundred days since the committee's formation have not led to the normalization of the party's organizational structure, denouncing a lack of internal activity, absence of participation, and a prolonged provisional period less than a year before municipal elections.
The document recalls that the caretaker committee was formed after the resignation of Javier Rodríguez Palacios as general secretary and questions the delay in initiating the process to elect a new political leadership legitimized by the membership. The signatories reject the interim leadership's narrative of an internal listening and reorganization process, stating that activity has been very limited, with only four emails and one meeting with the Socialist Municipal Group's councilors.
The platform criticizes the prolonged closure of the Casa del Pueblo (People's House) and the lack of response to the concerns of numerous members. They also report alleged warnings from party disciplinary bodies regarding public statements made by members protesting the closure of the headquarters. The legal and statutory situation of the caretaker committee is questioned, as its initial ninety-day term has been exceeded and its extension is pending federal authorization.
The main demand is for the membership to decide the future of the organization through primaries and the election of a new Municipal Executive Committee, referencing the PSOE's Federal Statutes which establish caretaker committees as transitional bodies. The organized mobilization of a significant portion of Alcalá's membership, with over 300 signatures, represents a relevant political development for the federal leadership.
Ferraz's decision on the requested extension will be decisive for the immediate future of the socialist movement in Alcalá, potentially becoming one of the most delicate episodes for the PSOE of Alcalá in recent years. The full statement from the promoting collective highlights the loss of 110 days by the Caretaker Committee and the request for an Assembly to regain local governance.
It is noted that the caretaker committee's activity has been limited to four emails and one meeting with councilors, without progress in its function of restoring normality. The Casa del Pueblo remains closed, and no open meetings for members have been convened. Furthermore, emails have gone unanswered, and threats related to disciplinary bodies for public statements have been mentioned.
The legal status of the caretaker committee is questioned regarding the potential denial of the requested extension. The letter submitted to the federal headquarters aims for the convocation of an Assembly to elect a new Municipal Executive Committee, based on loyalty to the PSOE and its Statutes. The agile process of the PSOE of Madrid after its former General Secretary's resignation is cited as a precedent, where primaries were called within four days.
The PSOE Statutes clearly state that caretaker committees must initiate the process for electing a new leadership within ninety days, a mandate that, according to the signatories, has not yet been fulfilled in Alcalá de Henares after more than one hundred days.
