Pilar Alegría, the PSOE candidate for the presidency of Aragón, accepted a face-to-face electoral debate with Jorge Azcón on Saturday while presenting her candidacy in her hometown of La Zaida. In an emotional speech, she criticized the regional president's management and advocated for a project of progress and equality. The PP, meanwhile, will request that the debate be held on Aragón Televisión.
Pilar Alegría presented her candidacy for the presidency of the Government of Aragón on Saturday in La Zaida, Zaragoza, before around 400 people in the municipal pavilion of her hometown. In an event marked by emotion, the former Education Minister began her speech to the tune of Amaral's 'Revolución', recalling her humble origins: “I come from a simple, working family. My father worked in the fields and was a factory worker; my mother a housewife. They couldn't study.” At 48 years old, Alegría stressed that “equality of opportunities is not guaranteed” and positioned herself as a defender of social justice, promising an Aragón of “dialogue, agreement, and coexistence.”
During the rally, she explicitly accepted the debate proposed by Azcón: “They are wrong if they think we won't debate these days. We will do so with all political forces, but also in a face-to-face with the PP candidate, Jorge Azcón. I want to explain to the Aragonese what our political project is, a project of advances and progress, and confront it with his failed project, which is based on cuts, privatization, and the subordination of the interests of the Aragonese to their own and those of the PP.” She harshly criticized Azcón's Government for calling early elections on February 8 “that the Aragonese did not ask for,” but rather responding to “his personal agenda and that of Feijóo,” and for absences in key moments, such as the floods.
The Aragonese PSOE will hold express primaries to confirm Alegría, who received Ferraz's endorsement without competition. The event also provided clues about the lists: continuity in Huesca with figures like Noelia Herrero, renewal in Teruel, and doubts in Zaragoza. Notable absences included several deputies who will not repeat.
From the PP, general secretary Ana Alós welcomed the debate acceptance and will request it at the Council of Radio and Television of Aragón due to “the special relevance of these elections.” Alós defended Azcón's management, highlighting 530 million more in health and 200 million in education compared to the previous socialist government, and demanded explanations about the 450 million euros pending under the dependency law. She criticized Alegría for being “completely detached from the reality of Aragón” and for not presenting concrete proposals.
