The political crisis that erupted in Galicia in recent hours forced the mayor of Monforte de Lemos, José Tomé, to abandon his main institutional responsibilities. The also president of the Provincial Council of Lugo and prominent leader of the PSdeG announced his resignation this Wednesday, after several accusations of sexual harassment attributed to him were made public.
The socialist politician appeared in the afternoon at a press conference in Monforte, where he confirmed his departure and said that he has yet to formally communicate what will happen with the mayor’s office.
Accusations that triggered the resignation
The trigger occurred the night before, when the program Code 10 broadcast testimonies that pointed out alleged sexist behavior and inappropriate attitudes towards women linked to his entourage. Hours later, the PSOE’s national leadership confirmed that there were internal complaints that had reached the party’s official channel: the leak accelerated the times and left Tomé at the center of a storm.
In his appearance, the socialist insisted that the accusations spread are “false” and “anonymous”, but admitted that the public impact was incompatible with maintaining their positions. As he explained, he made the decision after dialogue with party colleagues at both the provincial and regional level: “I do it voluntarily to avoid any damage to the PSOE and the institutions,” he said.
Suspension of membership and effects on the mayor’s office
Tomé explained that he will request the precautionary suspension of his membership in the PSdeG in order not to compromise the party during the judicial process that he plans to initiate to defend himself. His intention, he said, is to have a margin to face the accusations “with greater freedom”.
At the municipal level, the decision opens a new front: the councilor announced that he and all the socialist councilors of Monforte will also request the precautionary suspension of militancy and will operate as a non-affiliated group while the internal file is resolved.
The resignation occurs, moreover, after the morning of the same day Tomé participated in an official act of the rural bus service without having knowledge of the allegations spread, then he had assured that he did not contemplate resigning. The situation changed completely when the position of Ferraz became known, which demanded that he hand over his seat as regional deputy and leave the mayor’s office.
Tension with the BNG and risk for the provincial government
The crisis also reached its government partners in the Diputación de Lugo, the BNG. The nationalist formation avoided pronouncing itself until Tomé gave explanations, but once his statements were known, its leaders were categorical.
The deputy mayor of Lugo, Rubén Arroxo, stressed the need to maintain a position of “zero tolerance” against sexist behavior and expressed support for possible victims. The national spokesperson of the BNG, Ana Pontón, expressed her indignation and described the facts as “repugnant”, appealing to political responsibility.
Even within the provincial government team itself there were warnings: Efrén Castro, representative of the BNG in the Diputación, advanced that he would leave the executive if the PSOE did not remove Tomé from his functions, a move that was finally avoided after the resignation.
