The general secretary of the PSOE of Puertollano, Miguel Ángel Caballero, and the spokesperson of the PSOE in the province, Cristina López, stated this Sunday that the national leadership of the PP in Génova "has thrown out" the mayor of Puertollano, Miguel Ángel Ruiz, from the candidacy for the Congress of Deputies following his "indictment" in a legal case for an alleged case of workplace harassment against a municipal worker.
From the PSOE, they maintain that the mayor has "deceived the citizens" by presenting his exit from the list as a personal decision to focus on the city, when, according to Caballero, "the mayor is not renouncing the Congress lists," but rather "the Popular Party has thrown him out" for being under investigation. In his opinion, "what the mayor cannot do is deceive the citizens by dressing it up with a false commitment to Puertollano," emphasizing that what "really excites him are the positions."
The PSOE's version of the events
The socialists have explained that the provincial PP communicated on Friday the inclusion of Ruiz as number four for Congress and that the mayor himself publicly confirmed his candidacy using, they allege, institutional resources. However, according to the PSOE's account, on Saturday "someone in Génova" warned that the mayor is listed as under investigation in a judicial procedure for alleged workplace harassment and that he must testify on November 25, just like his deputy mayor and the councilor for Sports.
In this context, the PSOE argues that the PP aims to avoid "a new case like that of Algeciras" or "a new Móstoles," citing other cases of mayors under investigation for harassment. Caballero emphasized that "time puts everyone in their place" and reproached Ruiz for arriving as an independent "saying that he was not going to get rich in politics" and that, once in the mayor's office, he took on the vice-presidency of the Diputación and aspired to "a third well-paid position" in Congress. "He is a mayor who dreams a lot, but with the positions, not with Puertollano," he stated.
Caballero also criticized that the local PP leadership and the mayor himself "the only thing they do is put the name of Puertollano in national media speaking badly of Puertollano," referring to the case of the councilor for Sports, Javier Trujillo, for the use of municipal facilities as private parking, as well as to the judicial procedure for alleged workplace harassment in which the mayor is also under investigation.
"First and second-class citizens"
Cristina López has emphasized that on Friday Ruiz "was a huge asset" for the PP and that, "not even 24 hours after his appointment, they make him resign." She also criticized that the mayor has conveyed that version to other party colleagues who also appear on candidacies, such as the mayor of Argamasilla de Alba or the mayor of Toledo, head of the list for that constituency. "Stop telling tall tales and tell the truth," she demanded.
The provincial spokesperson has launched "the key question": "If it is not acceptable to be investigated for alleged workplace harassment to run on a list for Congress, why is it acceptable for the PP to continue as mayor of Puertollano?" And she added: "Are we talking about first-class citizens and second-class citizens?", demanding "coherence" from the PP at all levels. In her view, "if a person is indicted and is not acceptable to run on the lists for Congress, they cannot remain in their position for even one more minute."
When asked by journalists whether, in light of the upcoming regional and municipal elections, the PP's statutes could prevent Ruiz from repeating as a candidate in the event of the opening of an oral trial, López pointed out that the PSOE has not yet analyzed that aspect because it is "focused on the 29N," although she has indicated that "all avenues will be studied and we will demand it."
In her opinion, "a person indicted for harassing a woman in the workplace cannot represent the PP or any party in any municipality," and she insisted that Ruiz "cannot continue representing Puertollano for even one more minute" because, she said, he is "leaving the image of the city in tatters."
Criticism of Paco Núñez's leadership
The spokesperson for Employment and Agriculture of the socialist group in the Cortes of Castilla-La Mancha, Antonio Sánchez Requena, has linked the situation of the mayor of Puertollano with the "weakness" of the regional president of the PP, Paco Núñez. In statements to the media before attending the meeting of the Monte Ibérico-Almansa Regional Council, organized by the PSOE of the province of Albacete, he pointed out that this "weakness" is reflected in "the situation of the mayor of Puertollano, reported for workplace harassment."
He questioned "that it is not valid to be part of the Congress of Deputies, according to Feijóo's criteria, but it is valid for Paco Núñez as a candidate and mayor of the city." And he insisted: "We do not understand how the mayor of Puertollano, reported for workplace harassment, is not suitable to be in the Congress of Deputies, it is not suitable for Feijóo. However, it is suitable for Paco Núñez to be a candidate, to be mayor in Puertollano, to represent the needs and interests of the citizens of Puertollano."
In his opinion, this contradiction highlights the fragility of Núñez's leadership, which "always needs to cling to a burning nail to maintain the power balances in a Popular Party of Castilla-La Mancha that does not support him," according to what the PSOE has disseminated in a press release. Along these lines, he has assured that the regional leader of the PP "does not even have the affection of his affiliates" and has pointed out that, poll after poll, even potential popular voters lean towards Emiliano García-Page continuing at the head of the Junta, which, in his opinion, evidences "the basic weakness of the PP."
Finally, the Secretary of Organization of the PSOE of Albacete, Fran Valera, has interpreted that the repeated visits of national leaders of the PP to Castilla-La Mancha demonstrate that "Génova does not trust Núñez" and that it needs to closely supervise his work so that "he does not go off track."