Logroño, Oct. 13 (EFE) .- The president of the PP of La Rioja since 2017, José Ignacio Ceniceros, this Thursday made his position available to the national leader of the popular, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, assuming that his cycle “is ended “.
Ceniceros announced his resignation, which is “a considered decision”, in the Regional Executive Committee, in which, on his proposal, it was unanimously approved to transfer to the National Electoral Committee that Gonzalo Capellán be the candidate of the PP for the government of La Rioja in the elections of May 2023.
“I normally assume that my cycle is over and it’s time to take over new people and teams running the day-to-day of the game,” Ceniceros pointed out in a note.
“I leave the presidency, but never from a party to which I have dedicated so many years of my life” and of which he has been a member for almost four decades, said Ceniceros, who served as president of the government of La Rioja ( 2015-2019) and the Regional Parliament (1999-2015).
In January 2020, he had already announced his intention not to run again for the presidency of Riojan PP and had declared that his only ambition was to “temporarily pilot this project towards a safe port, not of arrival, but of departure towards the future”.
Now, with this objective “accomplished”, with a new direction to face the electoral nomination of May, he considers that “it is time to step down”, because “those responsible for piloting this new stage deserve the maximum freedom in making their decisions.
Ceniceros was elected president of the PP of La Rioja in April 2017, during the last congress held by this political formation and during which he prevailed over the mayor of Logroño at the time and now secretary general of the popular party , Cuca Gamarra.
He announced his resignation in the Executive Committee in which he proposed Gonzalo Capellán, professor at the University of La Rioja and former Minister of Education of the Government of La Rioja (2011-2014), as a candidate in the next regional elections .
This proposal came after the PP of La Rioja experienced in recent months the presentation of two candidates for the presidency of the party at a future congress that has not yet been convened.
These two pre-candidatures were led by the autonomous deputies Alfonso Domínguez, who withdrew it on the 8th and expressed his support for Capellán, considered, in some sectors, as the candidate for the national leadership; and Alberto Bretón, who insists on calling a congress.
Ceniceros believes that Capellán represents “renewal, illusion and unity”; and he asked to “turn the page” with generosity, “leaving aside the staff and putting the interest of the people of La Rioja before any other question”.
During the meeting, around 50 members gathered at the PP headquarters to insist on their demand to elect the candidate to a congress and showed posters with the slogan “Feijóo, listen, finger no, congress yes”.