Podemos publicly presented itself this Thursday in Lanzarote, giving its first press conference, in which two "temporary" spokespersons, Sabrina Garri and Vicente González, pointed out that the intention of the formation is to run in the next municipal elections. Podemos wants to "break with old schemes of political leaders" who decide "the caste that believes it owns the island".
Currently, about 90 people are part of Podemos in Lanzarote. Only about ten members of the formation attended the press conference. From this party they have insisted that they are still under construction, although "advancing as fast as possible".
Both Garri and González have stressed that in the formation there are "committed people", who believed that politics was something "foreign" to their lives, until Podemos emerged. However, most of them are people without political experience, although "that does not mean that there are no professionals".
"We are working on this project and we have barely started. The result of the past elections and the 2,721 votes obtained in Lanzarote have been a joy for our formation and a great surprise for others. It's only the beginning. We are not satisfied and we need to continue growing", they have defended.
"Everyone has a place in Podemos"
Therefore, they wanted to make it clear that in Podemos "everyone has a place" because it is a formation "open" to anyone who wants to be part of it. The party's method is assembly and participatory. There are neither directives nor executives that are decided "without counting on the opinion of the citizens who form Podemos". "Anyone who wants to approach Podemos Lanzarote knows that they will be heard and will have not only a voice, but also a vote", they insisted.
The spokespersons and representatives are chosen "in an open way", "must be held accountable permanently" and are "removable at all times". Precisely, the two spokespersons who have offered this press conference at the Civic Center of Playa Honda and who were elected in the first assembly of the party in Puerto del Carmen, will probably leave this position next month, since new spokespersons will be elected in a new assembly and so on successively.
"We don't ask anyone for their card"
Asked if there are also people from other political parties in Podemos, the spokespersons preferred to point out that in the formation they do not ask "anyone for their card". "We don't ask for ID, because what matters to us is that you participate to achieve the objectives", said Sabrina Garri, who also wanted to make it clear that due to the party's own system it would be "very difficult" for someone from another party to come to Podemos with the intention of occupying a position in the future.
Podemos also intends to end "corrupt politicians supported by the population" on the island. "We will be the common people the protagonists of this change and, for this, we will articulate a network of active participation with all the social agents who want to be in this project", they have informed.
In this sense, Vicente González spoke about the "Unión" case, one of the biggest "scandals of political and economic corruption in the country, which affects politicians and real estate developers of our island caste" and which "sleeps in the sleep of the just in the Courts", in the opinion of this formation. "Files and reports disappear. Computers burn. We are no longer just a Biosphere Reserve, now we are also studied in universities as an example of corruption", they have questioned.
Therefore, the formation will put the emphasis on ending corruption and also on defending the public, both water, education and health, as well as no to oil. Podemos has already transferred the issue of oil exploration to its European deputies, who "are already studying initiatives to undertake in the conviction that the fight for the interests of the Canary Islands has not come to an end".
The next party assembly will take place on July 19 at 6:00 p.m. in El Fondeadero. Podemos has a website and a Facebook page where those interested in this project can obtain information.
