The until now mayor of Lugo, Lara Méndez, will leave office before January 15 to become the number 2 of the PSOE candidate for the autonomous elections on February 18 in Galicia, José Ramón Gómez Besteiro. The socialist headliner will appear in the province of Lugo and the still councilor will occupy second place on the list.
Méndez, mayor for the last eight and a half years, since 2015, must leave the baton before the 15th as it is the deadline to present candidacies. In addition, she must leave her councilor record.
In an appearance on Monday afternoon, she confirmed that she decided to leave the Mayor’s Office and accompany the socialist candidate in the electoral race “after long conversations” with him and convinced that she will be able to continue doing “important work for Lugo from another area.”
Furthermore, he has pointed out that it is “urgent and necessary”, for Lugo and for Galicia, a change in the government of the In these 15 years he considers that “we have made absolutely no progress.” “There have been many years of seeing how the PP’s policies in the Xunta harm our city and autonomous community,” he added.
This resignation will leave the identity of the new mayor in the air. Immediately, but on an interim basis, the current deputy mayor, Rubén Arroxo, of the BNG, will take over the baton, since in Lugo the PSOE governs in coalition with the nationalists. Then, a new mayor must be inaugurated.
The number 2 of the PSOE in the city and also a deputy in the Lugo Provincial Council Miguel Fernández is nominated for the position, but also the current person in charge of Urban Planning and socialist spokesperson in the municipality, Paula Alvarellos. Lara Méndez was convinced this Monday that in Lugo continuity is guaranteed because the local government has a “cohesive” and “very dedicated” team.
Lara Méndez is a politician who is highly trusted by the socialist candidate. She was already his number two during part of her term as president of the Lugo Provincial Council, a position she held between 2007 and 2015. Just that year, 2015, she assumed the Mayor’s Office of Lugo, after the resignation of her predecessor, José López Orozco. . In 2019 and 2023 she revalidated the Mayor’s Office as a candidate.
In addition, she is a highly respected and valued person in the party, currently being deputy general secretary of the PSdeG. She also holds the Presidency of the Eixo Atlántico, being the first woman to hold this position.