The Executive Committee of the Spanish Confederation of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (Cepyme), meeting this Friday, has unanimously decided to support the candidacy of Antonio Garamendi for his continuity as president of CEOE in the elections scheduled for next October 1.
Through a statement, the Cepyme Executive Committee has underlined the relevance of having a "strong and consolidated" leader who defends the interests of Spanish companies and, in particular, of SMEs in a complex stage marked by uncertainty.
The organization chaired by Ángela de Miguel has highlighted the work carried out by Antonio Garamendi at the head of CEOE in recent years, "marked by the defense of the business fabric, dialogue and the search for consensus, and the ability to maintain a solid, cohesive and responsible business voice in a difficult economic and social context".
Cepyme maintains that the permanence of his leadership will help to reinforce the unity of action of business organizations and to continue promoting the adequate conditions for companies to expand, create employment and contribute to the economic and social development of Spain.
Garamendi was first elected president of the Spanish employers' association in November 2018 and, four years later, renewed his mandate for another four years by achieving the support of 534 votes in the CEOE Electoral Assembly, compared to the 87 votes obtained by his opponent, the vice-president of Foment del Treball, Virginia Guinda.
The Basque businessman, born in Gexto (Vizcaya), became the fifth president of CEOE since its creation in 1977, after Carlos Ferrer Salat, José María Cuevas, Gerardo Díaz Ferrán and Juan Rosell.
In Garamendi's current term, which began in November 2022, CEOE approved the suppression of the two-term limit that Juan Rosell had promoted in his day, which opens the door for Garamendi to run for re-election in the next elections.