Spanish Socialists sack Madrid party leader

The Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE) on Wednesday confirmed its decision to sack Tomas Gomez, the leader of the PSOE in Madrid and the party's candidate for regional elections due in May.

The decision was taken by party leader Pedro Sanchez after a court opened an investigation into an over-budget tram line project in the town of Parla, south of the Spanish capital, when Gomez served as its mayor.

Gomez was mayor of Parla between 1999 and 2008. The tram project and those behind it are being investigated for what has been described as a "criminal act" of budget increases during construction.

The original cost of the project, which was never put to tender, was 108 million euros (122 million U.S. dollars), but it rose to a total of 256 million euros before completion, leaving the Parla local authority technically bankrupt.

Members of the PSOE federal executive said they took the decision to sack Gomez in order to "avoid damaging the interests of the party."

Gomez was named as the PSOE candidate for the elections for the Community of Madrid in October 2014.

The party will look into who should replace Gomez as the candidate for the regional elections.

Neither PSOE nor the ruling Popular Party nor the United Left (Izquierda Unida) currently have candidates for the regional election which will be held in three-and-a-half months. (1 euro = 1.13 U.S. dollar) Endit