Arrimadas, Rivera, or Carrizosa... where are the former glories of Ciudadanos now?

BarcelonaIn 2017, Ciutadans rubbed the sky in Catalonia: with 36 deputies, it became the first force in the Parliament and was gaining momentum for the definitive assault on Congress in the 2019 elections. It would be the blow to the repeat election seven months later: the formation went from 57 seats to 10. The party would then fall into a spiral of internal fights and a loss of leadership (with a hostile takeover bid by the PP (including) that have led to the practical disappearance of the institutions. But what has become of the former glories of the orange party?

"I am resigning as president of Ciutadans so that this project can decide the future of the project."In November 2019, Rivera thus ended his relationship with a party with which he cut ties that have never been renewed, according to sources within the party who told ARA. Four months later, the former Orange leader joined the Martínez-Echevarría law firm alongside former party leader José Manuel Villegas, also a lawyer. Both would end up leaving through the back door amid accusations from the firm for their "low productivity" and a lawsuit filed against Rivera for disloyal conduct for 1.2 million euros—which was unsuccessful. Since then, the founder of Ciudadanos has been through all kinds of business circles: from a start-up from resolving legal issues in 24 hours to a postgraduate degree in leadership and public speaking, and even a membership in a select Madrid business club – Raheem – where he is an ambassador. He makes a living as a speaker political and has a consulting firm jointly with Villegas, RV+, which boasts its commitment to innovation and opening new market niches.

Inés Arrimadas has chosen a different path: for the past year and a half, she's been working in the renewable energy sector as an executive at Recurrent Energy, a subsidiary of Canadian Solar. Despite not being involved in the party, she maintains ties with Ciutadans and helps her former colleagues when they need anything, party sources tell ARA. Her last enemy within the party, Edmundo Bal, has let politics slide and returned to his position as a state attorney. He tried to launch a party called Cree, including a tour of Spain with street events, but abandoned it at the beginning of the year. Paradoxically, one of his last media appearances was as an anonymous person: was an audience member at La Revuelta.

Lawyers and journalists

A good handful of former Ciutadans leaders have returned to their old jobs. Former Catalan leader Carlos Carrizosa: For about three months now, he has returned to his own firm, Carrizosa y Almazor, which he shares with the other founding partner, from where he has begun to reactivate his client portfolio after a dozen years as a member of parliament. Former MP Joan García, a geographer, has returned to the private sector, working in the media world. He remains a member of Ciutadans (Citizens), which is awaiting the election of a new leadership in Catalonia, a territory that official party sources have yet to consider lost: "We want to find a way to present ourselves in the next elections," they also point out. DUI (District Director), José María-Espejo Saavedra, also a lawyer, has rejoined CaixaBank. In the dragon's mouth, about her love story with Sánchez Dragó – and which she will sign this Sant Jordi in the Societat Civil Catalana tent.

The communications sector also welcomes a few more former Oranges. A prominent figure of Ciudadanos (Cs) in Europe, he has retired (at 77 years old) although he occasionally participates in Risto Mejide's talk show on Cuatro. Fernando Tomás de Páramo, former communications secretary of Ciudadanos, is now working in the private sector after working in brand reputation at the consulting firm Morillas, as sources from the company confirm to ARA.

Another of Ciutadans' former glories, Jordi Cañas, remains secretive about his current professional life. When consulted by ARA, the former Catalan leader says he prefers to keep it private now that he no longer holds any public office, having failed to renew his position as a member of the European Parliament for Ciudadanos (unlike Juan Carlos Girauta, who won a seat when he switched to Vox). Away from politics, however, Cañas occasionally tweets in his characteristic style. The latest, about the dismissal of the delegate for Northern Catalonia.

At his side are former Ciudadanos deputies who have made the jump to the PP, such as Nacho Martín Blanco and Lorena Roldán, or even to Vox, such as Carina Mejías.