The new president of the Junta de Extremadura, María Guardiola, has assured during her swearing-in ceremony, held this afternoon in the Roman Amphitheatre of Mérida, that rights "will not be subject to any political fluctuation" and that it is something that "is not negotiable" nor "qualifiable".
"Our rights are not going to be subject to any political pendulum swings. Public services, well-being, and people's lives will be the top priority of the Junta government. And that is not negotiable. It is not nuanced," he stressed.
In his speech, he insisted on his rejection of "walls" and stated that his project will be "for everyone," while defending "politics" as a tool for collective transformation.
"I believe in politics. I don't grimace when I say that word. I don't think all politicians are the same. I believe there is goodness and listening in all parties and in all institutions. And that from there we must build our coexistence. I believe that public management is a challenge and a responsibility that must be assumed with dignity and integrity," he pointed out.
"That serves to change things. That is the armor of the collective against selfishness or personal interest. That if we are here it is because we have advanced together," added Guardiola, who reiterated that he does not believe "in walls," because "division makes us worse, more vulnerable, more erratic."
"It leads us towards the rocks. The entire society founders if it thinks the battle is more important than the agreement. That insults must reign over arguments. That in the mud one can build a tomorrow," Guardiola has insisted, who has addressed "sincerely all the women and men of Extremadura," emphasizing that his executive "will not be one of mine versus yours." "We will continue walking together to go even further. Extremadura is tired of factions, tensions, and blockages," he has remarked.
In this regard, he has reiterated that he has "a project for everyone" that "will not renounce its legitimate ideas, but will never despise the ideas of others," and that it will be based on "humility and work" as the foundations of the legislature. "A legislature that will have its feet on the ground. A legislature that must be one of respect and dialogue," he has stated.
"I want closeness, I want proximity and I want an administration at the service of the people, and not the people at the service of the administration. And we are going to continue improving many things. We are going to make decisions with firmness and with courage. Because Extremadura deserves a deeper and more ambitious look. It deserves institutions worthy of its people," he defended.
Likewise, he has explained that he aspires to an Extremadura "where one can speak," in which criticism "helps to improve and not to destroy" and where "no one has to be silent to feel part of something."
On this line, he has claimed that "a healthy democracy needs freedom, needs respect, and needs a citizenry that is not complacent." "Let us not be intimidated. Let us not be used. We are free. And that means we can defend our vision of life without fear of being silenced or expelled from public debate. I want discussions in bars and squares, and I want family dinners where talking about politics is not a taboo," he pointed out.
Attendees at the institutional event
To the event, which has brought together more than 400 guests, have attended, along with civil, judicial and military authorities and representatives of social agents, the president of the Senate, Pedro Rollán; the Government delegate in Extremadura, José Luis Quintana; the president of the Assembly, Manuel Naharro; the mayor of Mérida, Antonio Rodríguez Osuna; and the president of the TSJEx, María Félix Tena.
Also attending were the secretary general of the PP, Miguel Tellado; the acting president of Castilla y León, Alfonso Fernández Mañueco; the president of the PP of Castilla-La Mancha, Paco Núñez; and the former president of the Senate Juan Ignacio Barrero, in addition to other leaders from the different Extremaduran political parties.
Investiture and government pact
María Guardiola assumes the Presidency of the Board after having been invested last Wednesday in the Assembly of Extremadura, thanks to the favorable votes of the PP and Vox, after the agreement reached the previous Thursday.
In the first vote, the PP candidate achieved the support of 40 deputies (29 from PP and 11 from Vox), while the other 25 parliamentarians (18 from PSOE and 7 from Unidas por Extremadura) positioned themselves against.
The support of Vox for María Guardiola has materialized after both parties closed an agreement to form a coalition government, whereby Vox will lead the Ministry of Social Services, with the rank of Vice Presidency, and the Ministry of Agriculture, in addition to occupying the position of autonomous senator.
The inauguration ceremony has begun with the reading, by the president of the Assembly, Manuel Naharro, of the royal decree appointing Guardiola as president, after which she has sworn in.
(((There will be an expansion)))