Revolt in Figueres: Aliança Catalana affiliates demand the reinstatement of the candidate fired for going out with a minor

BarcelonaOn June 28, Aliança Catalana fired its candidate in Figueres because he was maintaining a romantic relationship with a 16-year-old former student of his, whom he met while giving a talk on sports management. Arnau Liesa, born in 1995 and 30 years old, was not just another head of the list. He was one of the first mayoral candidates the party announced and had the unconditional support of the leadership, as shown by the fact that he was the organization secretary for the Alt Empordà region. He was a rising star and was also aiming to be in a leading position on the Girona list for Parliament.

The Figueres membership never doubted at any moment that he should be the candidate, even though people who had run for other parties had also proposed themselves to head the list. The revelation of his relationship with this minor and his expulsion from the party has not changed the opinion of many of the Figueres affiliates. The local core of the party is demanding his reinstatement. As learned by ARA, they have conveyed this to the leadership, from whom they have requested a meeting in which they will demand that Liesa return as the candidate. Such is the unrest that in mid-August the militants were about to send a letter to the leadership requesting Liesa's reinstatement, but at the last moment, they backed down for fear that disciplinary measures would be taken against them.

The decision, however, depends on the leadership, which is the one that chooses the candidates in cities with more than 30,000 inhabitants, and the militants in Figueres are convinced that the party's top brass will not give in. In fact, when Aliança's governing committee met by videoconference with Liesa on that same June 28, the party had already issued a statement announcing his dismissal, without waiting for him to be able to explain himself. The fear that the news would be leaked to a media outlet, as they had heard would happen, caused the leadership to act with speed to control the fire. Liesa accepted his dismissal and since then has remained in a discreet background, separated from the party, without making statements, nor has he held any formal meeting with the Figueres affiliates. "We are in the process of restructuring and consolidating the party in Figueres," the leadership limits itself to saying.

"We, the members, want his reinstatement; we still believe he is our candidate, even if he is no longer the candidate for the leadership," states a party member in the capital of Alt Empordà who has been contacted by ARA. Be that as it may, they are aware that the leadership will not comply with their request: "It is very difficult; when the leadership makes a decision, it is set in stone." Despite admitting the turmoil caused by learning that Liesa had a relationship with a minor, the members of the local branch downplay it: "He is an old-fashioned guy, a traditionalist, and when he can, he will formally propose to her and marry her; she is the love of his life, as he defended. And when he realized he was falling in love, he left the institute where he was holding those sessions in order to court her; he cannot be labeled a pedophile as some ill-intentioned commentators have done," they denounce, visibly angry.

In search of a substituteFor this reason, they demand that he be the candidate. "The supporters do not care about his private life, and Arnau is the best candidate we can have, with a good head on his shoulders, politically prepared, and with great communicative capacity to confront the mayor, Jordi Masquef." "With Arnau, we could have won," some of the members go so far as to say. The leadership, however, already began working in July to search for a substitute indirectly through regional and local leaders. The response from all the militants who have been sounded out has been negative for now, citing personal or professional reasons, and with the firm conviction that Liesa remains the best possible head of the list. Some, however, like Joan Llobet, who until recently was Liesa's right-hand man, could step forward if the leadership, as expected, digs in its heels. "The project comes before the names and the list is not in danger," the members make clear, not hiding that Figueres will be one of the bastions of Aliança. "If we were to present a fig tree, the symbol of the city, we would get two or three councilors anyway," they conclude.