The Cepyme War is resolved this Tuesday after a crossed reproaches marketing campaign among the many candidates | Economy | EUROtoday

253 votes of the 505 in Liza. That is the border that Gerardo Cuerva and Angela de Miguel should cross this Tuesday, May 20 to preside over Cepyme, built-in into CEOE and the principle voice of small and medium -sized enterprises in Spain. The Granada, present president, and the Valladolid, applicant and chief of CEOE in his province, have starred in an atypical marketing campaign, an stark combat filled with reproaches. Today a duel with echoes is resolved within the social dialogue as a complete: if Cuerva wins will weaken the management of Antonio Garamendi in CEOE and can give wings to the fiercest employer’s discourse towards the federal government and the social advances that he ages; If Miguel beats, particularly if he does it forcefully, he’ll reinforce the Basque employer chief. Far away is the time when it reached a number of draft agreements with the Executive, equivalent to labor reform, however continues to be thought-about extra average than Cuerva.

Cuerva and Miguel have engaged in a number of points which have little to do with SMEs each day. For instance, Cuerva stated in his interview with this newspaper: “Antonio [Garamendi] He has said it: he wants a person official to work eight hours a day, five days a week and who is at his orders. ” […] The Spanish SME deserves someone who really works for her, not that she is simply at ease in the armchair. ”

They have also discussed on account of the accusation of Cuerva on pressures of the other candidacy (flatly denied by De Miguel) and on which candidate it is convenient for the Ministry of Labor. “Two folks have stated publicly and repeatedly that they are not looking for me to be president of Cepyme: the president of CEOE and the second vp of the federal government, Yolanda Díaz,” said Cuerva. “If I had been her,” replied the Valladolid, “I would really like a candidate who invests extra time to talk badly of the CEOE than to speak about SMEs.”

Asked about it, last week Díaz said he continued “with a lot of interest the Ceypme Congress”. “They are more interesting [junto a los congresos sindicales] than those of other entities because they mark a period destination. With absolute respect for the parties that make up Ceoe and Cepyme, I did not position me, ”added the vice president, reports Manuel V. Gómez.

One of the key matters of the campaign, and in which a different background position is distinguished, is how to relate to the great Spanish employer. The two candidates have defended that the employer of SMEs remains integrated in CEOE, but Cuerva insists more on the importance of having “personal voice” against the interests of large companies. Part of the small company believes that they have not always been heard, for example during the negotiation of the labor reform. De Miguel appeals more to consensus, despite recognizing the differences that may occur within the organization.

In what neither seeks understanding is in the relationship with another organization of SMEs, Conpymes (and in particular the Catalan Pimec, integrated in the previous one), which is gaining weight in recent months. The Government is giving space in collective bargaining, something that unnerves Ceoe and Cepyme. The two sides of the fight for Cepyme accuse the other that his way of acting is giving strength to Conpymes.

At the same time, the Cuerva team observes an ideological base difference, a greater fight against the Executive, a premise that denys those who support De Miguel. The interpretation of the former is substance, in part, by the role of the president of the Community of Madrid, a reference on the part of the economic right, in this dispute: Isabel Díaz Ayuso went to the informative breakfast of both candidates, but in which she participated and in which she dedicated words of support was in Cuerva.

Who will overcome?

Both candidacies say they have the numbers to overcome. From the Cuerva team it is indicated that without the delegated vote would win by street, but the persistence of this system (whereby an voter can deposit that of others) balances the balance. On the other side they believe they will win forcefully, with much more than half of the support at their disposal.

Unofficial bets on Monday spoke that both opponents would carry a similar number of delegated votes. And a significant number of abstentions are expected, which could be around 70 votes. Sources that do not identify with either of the two candidacies claimed that they should not lose sight of those who have delegated the vote but, finally, they appear tomorrow to vote, so that vote would become face -to -face and secret. In short, these same sources point out that victory is played by a handful of about 80 votes that can tip the balance towards one side or another.

The current Directorate of Cepyme explains that of the 505 votes, 275 correspond to sector and 230 to territorial associations. In general, regardless of the population, each province has four votes, which gives much importance to provincial associations away from the country’s large centers of economic power. There are some exceptions in that distribution of four votes per province: for example, Madrid has six votes, despite being uniprovincial, while Catalonia has eight votes together, instead of four for each of its four provinces.

They are also small patron saint, especially metal and construction, which have their own votes beyond those of their large business houses, the National Confederation of Construction (four votes) and Confemetal (six votes).

The lists of each candidate show that support is not closed in each organization. For example, Ceoe de Castilla y León issued a statement to support De Miguel, but Cuerva takes two vice presidents of the Castilian -Employers in his candidacy. The same happens in Confemetal, which also announced its support for the Valladolid but Cuerva has one of the vice presidents of the metal employer.

However, in spite Aragon The only territorial leaders that Cueva carries on his list are that of Castilla-La Mancha and Cantabria.

Garamendi Contra Cuerva

Different sources both employers, and the executive have been showing their “shock” for the virulence of the contest. The lack of harmony between Cuerva and Garamendi was known, but not that they could reach these extremes, open on the channel on January 20, 2025. Then the newspaper ABC He published that Garamendi was looking for an alternative candidate to Cuerva.

Different employer sources, including some not aligned either with a raven or with Garamendi, argue that the Basque movement responds to the Grenadian intends to snatch the position in front of CEOE. Garamendi changed the CEOE statutes in 2023, suppressing the limit of two mandates, which would reach the current one. With this maneuver to extend his mandate beyond the initially expected, he aroused some misgivings.

Other enterprise voices, nevertheless, be sure that the presidency of CEOE was not the goal of Cuerva and that with out the Garamendi maneuver would by no means have aspired to the management of the principle employer; But on the similar time they level out that if Cuerva wins this assault would have arguments to face that battle sooner or later.