Chloe Glover (Reporter)
A POPULAR ex-PSOE leader is to embark on a long-awaited tour of Spain to rally left-wing activists.
And Sevilla will be the first port of call for the ousted Pedro Sanchez, who says he wants to meet and listen to the ‘unheard’ voices of his grassroots, ‘militant’ fan base.
Due to take place on January 28 at a still undisclosed time and location, it is the first in a string of nationwide rallies.
He hopes that they will help him decide whether to run in the upcoming contest for the top party job, which he was forced to stand down from following a vote of no confidence by MPs last October.
Sanchez made the announcement of the tour on Twitter, over two months since he first made a promise to do so.
Cumplo con mi palabra. La próxima semana iniciaré encuentros para escuchar a quienes no fueron escuchados: los militantes.
— Pedro Sánchez (@sanchezcastejon) January 18, 2017
“I will stick to my word”, he said in a post on Twitter.
“Next week I will initiate gatherings to listen to those who were not heard: the militants.”
Sanchez has not yet confirmed which other towns and cities he will visit on the tour.
In December almost 70 Socialist politicians signed a ‘manifesto’ of support for Sanchez, who they believe should return as PSOE’s leader.
Patxi Lopez, the former Basque PSOE president, was the first Socialist MP to announce his intention to stand in the leadership race, which is also expected to include Susana Diaz, the Andalucia Junta head.
