The delegate of the Government in Asturias, Adriana Lastra, has taken office in an institutional act that has been attended by the President of the Government of the Principality, Adrián Barbón, the Minister of Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory, Ángel Víctor Torres, the Mayor of Oviedo, Alfredo Canteli, the former delegate of the Government in Asturias, Delia Losa, and the main civil and military authorities of Asturias.
In her speech, Lastra showed her emotion for “the immense honor” of her new responsibility and thanked the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, for the trust placed in her: “Together we have gone through all kinds of vicissitudes and this time I am also going to leave my skin for my country, just like he does.” He highlighted “the pride” of representing this “progressive government that places equality and feminism at the centre of all political action” in Asturias.
Political convictions
The event was attended by some of Lastra’s travel companions on the Freedom Train, with which ten years ago they managed to “stop the harmful reform of the abortion law intended by the Rajoy government.” In this regard, the Government delegate has established what will be the pillars of her new responsibility: “Feminism will continue to be my flag and the fight against all inequalities will be my top priority.” She has stressed that the fight against gender violence, sexual violence and sexual exploitation will be a priority in the Government Delegation.
Adriana Lastra has claimed that her “political commitment has always been linked to Asturias”: “The strength of my convictions has always been an engine of energy and that I will now put at the service of all Asturians as a delegate of the Government, convinced that the noble exercise of politics is the most powerful tool at the service of social transformation and the progress of the majority”. And he has assured that he will put all his “experience to build agreements in complex contexts at the service of Spain and Asturias”.
She recalled that she learned all her values “in a hardworking Asturian family” of which she is “deeply proud” and also of her “socialist political family”: “Socialist men and women who, generation after generation, have always broadened our democratic horizons of freedom, rights, progress and equality.” Lastra has had a memory for her “friend and companion of the soul” Maricuela: “Wherever I am, she will always be proud of me.”
The delegate of the Government has had words of thanks for her predecessor in office, Delia Losa, highlighting that in her six years representing the central Executive in Asturias she has managed to “humanize this institution, bring it closer to the citizens”. He has valued its “decisive” role during the pandemic “coordinating efforts and efforts with the Government of Asturias, with all municipalities or with industry to save lives, companies and jobs.”
Lastra has also had words for “one of the greatest assets” of the General Administration of the State in the territory, public employees and employees, from the personnel of the Government Delegation, through the State Security Forces and Bodies “that ensure our security, our rights and freedoms and that perform a commendable work”, and for the non-integrated services or the Armed Forces: “I count on your proven loyalty and you can count on my total support and trust. I believe that the gears of the State work perfectly and it is, in large part, thanks to your work.”
Unit for progress
The government delegate said in her speech that “Asturias and Spain are at their best in decades”. He stressed that “this progressive government has shown that economic competitiveness and the prosperity of citizens are not incompatible”, referring to the action against the Covid-19 pandemic or the Russian invasion of Ukraine. “The government of Pedro Sánchez has not left anyone behind,” he said.
Addressing the Minister of Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory, Ángel Víctor Torres, Lastra has confirmed that they share “much more than a country project”: “We are linked by the territorial structuring of Spain, the equality of all Spaniards and the fight to dignify the collective memory of all democrats who fought for it.”
Lastra has reviewed some of the main measures of the central executive and of a marked social nature: the minimum vital income, the reform of the labor market, the increase of the interprofessional minimum wage by 54 percent, the increase of pensions according to the IPC or the increase by 70 percent in the money destined for scholarships: “This progressive government has been able to live up to the circumstances, it will continue to be so and since my new performance I will promote that it continues to be so.” And he has emphasized the importance of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan that “thanks to the action of the Government of Spain they are serving to modernize the economy.”
Regarding the impact of the Government’s action in Asturias, Lastra recalled the implementation of the Pajares variant, the Proximity Plan, the Atlantic Corridor Master Plan, the State aid of 450 million euros to ArcelorMittal for its decarbonization project or the 330 million euros mobilized to dynamize the mining regions in the last six years. Medidas e inversiones “que demuestran el compromiso del Ejecutivo central con Asturias”.
In this sense, he conveyed to the President of the Government of the Principality “a loud and clear message”: “The Government of Spain is on your side in the projects that will transform our beloved land over the next ten years. You know that you are always going to have an ally in me and that from our responsibilities we will do everything possible to keep Asturias moving forward.”
And he has extended his hand to the regional and local administrations, the social agents and the opposition: “Only through institutional cooperation and dialogue will we be able to face the challenges that lie ahead as a society.” Coordination and collaboration that the delegate of the Government considers that they are going to turn Asturias “into an economic and social reference for the rest of Spain”.