Sumar Movement, the instrumental party that Yolanda Díaz created to legally sign the coalition with 15 political forces, takes its own flight. The leader of this space will turn it into an organization to use with its leaders, its congresses and its internal life. Among the main characteristics of the new formation are that the highest position will be called “president”, the direction will be very reduced and there will be a double path for the military: affiliates and “friends of Sumar”. The former vote and the latter only when expressly authorized by the party leadership.
All this and much more about the operation of Movimiento Sumar is included in the statutes that the formation has made public this Friday on its website. The Code of Ethics for positions and affiliates will also be available soon.
The structures are simple: the Assembly (formed by all the affiliates), the Coordination Table (the party leadership) and the Guarantees Commission. Sumar Movement stands out from other parties in its space and does not have an expanded and numerous management body, such as the Federal Committee of the PSOE or the State Citizen Council of Podemos. It concentrates everything in the Coordination Table.
This direction performs the functions of Executive and governs the party with a mandate of four years. It will be formed by between three and ten affiliated people and elected in a congress by the militants. That’s a strikingly small number compared to other organizations. In this group will be the positions of the Presidency, the Secretariat and the Treasury of the party.
When there is a presidency, the head of the party will be called president. She will be president as soon as Díaz formally assumes it. This denomination clashes with the tradition of the left, which is used to calling its leaders general secretary. It happens in the PSOE and in Podemos, and in IU it is similar (federal coordinator). The term “president” is the one that the right uses for its figures. PP and Vox have it and Ciudadanos has been using it until five months ago. On the other hand, the Secretariat is what in other parties is called Organization Secretariat.
The Assembly is the set of affiliates. One of its main functions is to elect members of the party leadership. Also exercise control over them. It is surprising because this Assembly will meet with unusual frequency. At least once “every year”, although extraordinary appointments are possible. However, the leadership of the party and the Guarantees Commission are renewed every four years.
Among the novelties, Movimiento Sumar creates two ways of being a member of the party. On the one hand, there is the typical figure of the “affiliate”, who demands to pay the corresponding fees. It is required to be of legal age and provide personal data, including ID. The main rights are to be able to vote and be elected. Article 6 allows military affiliates also in other political formations. “People who want to join and participate will do so on equal terms, regardless of whether they belong to other organizations, associations or parties,” he says.
The second way to be linked is what is called “Amigas de Sumar”. Basically it is any person who registers on your website and, unlike the affiliate, does not have to pay any fee. Of course, that also translates into a restriction of their ability to participate. They may do so as long as the management authorizes it. If not nothing. This is reflected in the text: “friends” have the right to “participate in as many debates, citizen listening, voting and consultations of the Sumar Movement as are established by the management bodies as accessible” to these people. This is the opposite of what happens in Podemos, where those registered always have the ability to vote without having to pay anything.
Regarding the management and the Guarantees Commission, the statutes establish that its composition “always respect gender parity and reflect the plurality and social and cultural diversity of the country.”
As for the Guarantees Commission, which is the body that administers internal justice, it will be made up of three people. The statutes detail the cases that are considered minor, serious and very serious infractions and what happens to a member or friend of Sumar when they commit them.
According to the criteria of The Trust Project
