Errejón, ‘Anticaps’ oppose Iglesias’ leadership style

Podemos' political secretary Íñigo Errejón speaking to reporters. Photo: Villar López/EFE via El País
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• Íñigo Errejón, ‘Anticapitalistas’ against Iglesias’ ‘hyper-leadership’ style
• Errejón proposes rule changes to limit power of Podemos general secretary

In an unusual turn of events, anti-austerity party Podemos’ number-two leader Íñigo Errejón and the party’s far-left Anticapitalistas faction have both come out publicly against what is being termed as the “hyper-leadership” style of party leader Pablo Iglesias, proposing changes to Podemos internal rules to prohibit the party leader from arbitrarily firing members of the party’s executive committee.

Since the party’s inception three years ago, Iglesias emerged from within the party’s collective executive committee as the undisputed leader of the party and as general secretary has personally executed the sacking of key executive committee members, most notably the sacking last March of Errejón-ally Sergio Pascual from the party’s number three position.

Now, in the runup to the party’s crucial ‘Vistalegre 2’ party conference in February, both Errejón and the leftwing Anticapitalistas are calling for a return to a more collective leadership structure, requiring approval by the executive committee of any sackings by the general secretary in a move seen aimed at hobbling Iglesias’ control over the party structure and internal apparatus.

► Read More in Spanish at El País and El Mundo …

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