Clash in the PSOE: Elma Saiz rejects the “rigging” that García-Page attributes to the 2016 primaries

The Minister of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration and government spokesperson, Elma Saiz, has responded forcefully to the statements of the president of Castilla-La Mancha, Emiliano García-Page, who spoke of an “attempt at ballot rigging” in the socialist primaries of 2016. Saiz has rejected that assertion “in no way” and has defended the legitimacy of the party's internal process.

In an interview on 'Antena 3', the minister recalled that after the resignation of Pedro Sánchez as general secretary of the PSOE, a management committee was formed and subsequently new primaries were held in which he again prevailed. “This is how history is written”, she stated, emphasizing that the entire process unfolded within the democratic channels of the party.

Saiz's statements arrive after Emiliano García-Page harshly criticized that internal process, assuring that already then he feared the political consequences of certain decisions. “From those dusts, these muds,” affirmed the socialist leader, in reference to the current political context.

In the electoral sphere, the Government spokesperson has also endorsed the candidacy of María Jesús Montero for the next Andalusian elections on May 17. Saiz has highlighted her experience, her knowledge of the territory and her previous management as a minister, defending that she is “the best candidate” to address problems such as healthcare or the management of public resources.

On the other hand, the minister has referred to different judicial processes that affect the current political situation. Regarding the trial in the Supreme Court of Spain against José Luis Ábalos and his former advisor Koldo García in the so-called mask case, she has assured that the Executive faces it “with tranquility.”

Finally, Saiz has also mentioned the trial of the Kitchen case in the Audiencia Nacional, related to the alleged espionage of Luis Bárcenas. In this regard, he has criticized the leader of the PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, for not condemning corruption in his formation, claiming in contrast the actions of the PSOE.