Politics The mayor of Villar de Cañas suspended by the PP after insulting Irene Montero refuses to resign and does not rule out going to another party

The mayor of Villar de Cañas (Cuenca), José María Sáiz, has refused to resign after the PP suspended him from militancy for insulting the Minister of Equality, Irene Montero, and has not ruled out running in the municipal elections on May 28 with another party

Politics The mayor of Villar de Cañas suspended by the PP after insulting Irene Montero refuses to resign and does not rule out going to another party

The mayor of Villar de Cañas (Cuenca), José María Sáiz, has refused to resign after the PP suspended him from militancy for insulting the Minister of Equality, Irene Montero, and has not ruled out running in the municipal elections on May 28 with another party.

In statements to Efe, Sáiz has assured that, "like good footballers", he has received "many offers" from other political parties to run on their lists in the upcoming May elections, although he has not specified which ones have contacted him.

He, for the moment, has not decided whether or not to present himself to revalidate the mayoralty that he has led for 28 years, since he has been in charge of the City Council for seven consecutive legislatures as mayor of the PP: "I don't know if I am going to present myself, I have to look out for my town. The last thing I would do would be to harm it," he said.

Sáiz assures that he is "very calm" because the people of Villar de Cañas and his family have transferred their support to him, as have "all" the mayors of the PP of Cuenca, Albacete and "half" of those of Ciudad Real. "Those who know me know how I am. They have all told me that they will support me whatever I do," he said.

Not so the president of the Castilian-La Mancha PP, Paco Núñez, who has not yet contacted the councilor, as he has said.

The PP opened an information file against the mayor of Cuenca last February for some vexatious comments towards the head of Equality, as a result of his relationship with the former general secretary of Podemos, Pablo Iglesias.

The Committee of Rights and Guarantees of the PP informed him of the measures adopted against him on the eve of March 8, International Women's Day. "You had to kill a lamb and it was my turn. Nothing happens," he explained.

"Seen what has been seen, in the face of the media, it was the best," he said, although he criticized that "this happens" because he belongs to the PP and that "nothing happens with the PSOE."

The councilor regretted that he was "the last" to find out about the suspension, news that he "did not expect" and that he learned about through the media.

Despite the precautionary measures, Sáiz has stressed that "nobody" has kicked him out of the party and has forcefully ruled out resigning, because, then, "it would look bad with all the people."

The mayor of Villar de Cañas has acknowledged that he said "badly done things", something that he already recognized and apologized: "It was said wrong, of course. I am sorry at the foot of my soul," he said.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project