Óscar Puente will still appear as the PSOE’s lead candidate for Congress in Valladolid, despite announcing his withdrawal from the list on Tuesday during an appearance before the Permanent Deputation. He also said he was resigning as transport minister.
Spain’s electoral law allows candidacies to be amended in certain cases, including when a candidate withdraws. But Puente’s announcement came on the same day the lists were officially proclaimed, when amendments could no longer be made.
Under the law’s succession rules, the vacancy is filled by the next candidates on the list, followed by substitutes if necessary. Ana Redondo, the minister for equality, will therefore take the lead position, ahead of José Domingo Castaño, María Luisa Sanz Martínez and Raúl Crespo. The substitutes are María Nieves Gómez Muñoz, Luis Manuel Pascual and María Aranda.
Sources: elDiario.es.