'Little Nicolás' wants to close the Senate – by running for senator
'Little Nicolás' wants to close the Senate – by running for senator
A STUDENT who hit the headlines after posing with the rich and famous and claiming to be an unpaid infiltrator for the government says he wants to run as a candidate for the Senate in the general elections on December 20 – in order to close the Senate down.
“I only believe in what works, and the Senate does not work,” said 21-year-old Francisco Nicolás Gómez – who says he is always known as 'Fran' but whom the press dubbed as 'Little Nicolás' a year ago after his antics were revealed.
The youngster, who was pictured in the line-up at King Felipe VI's coronation in July, says he will apply as an independent candidate.
According to 'Fran', or 'Little Nicolás': “The system has used me and indoctrinated me, but I do not have any political ideology.”
His campaign video shows him slimmer than last year, having cut his hair and wearing a navy-blue suit which he wore for his end-of-term party at his university in Madrid, and the supporting photo, sent to much of Spain's media, carries the title Houseofcards.jpg.
The self-confessed 'volunteer spy' says he has 'voted PP all his life', although in practice he would only have been eligible to vote at all in this year's local and regional elections and in last year's European Parliamentary elections as he was not old enough to vote until 2012 – and admits he did not bother to vote in the regionals.
“Democracy is overrated,” 'Little Nicolás' considers, adding: “I'm tired of the division between left and right; I believe in the division between what works and what doesn't, and the Senate doesn't. The High Chamber in Parliament is useless; nobody remembers which senators they voted for in the last elections and my ideologies do not go beyond numbers.
“Public spending on political layers is far too high, politics has too many dimensions and all this achieves is to keep politicians living the life of luxury and allow them to get their friends in the door.
“The Senate spends nearly €50 million a year, half of which goes in senators' salaries. That's just not economically viable,” the student-infiltrator states.
“It has been described as an 'elephant cemetery', but they're not elephants – they're political zombies.
“Every party promises to reform the Senate, but when they get there, nobody does it.
“I want to be an example of how all this can and should end – a Trojan Horse which will destroy it and quash it from the inside.”
Francisco Nicolás says he only intends to stand for the Senate once, but that his team members will be selected through head-hunting 'without any nepotism or favouritism', and that if he gains a seat, he will donate all his expenses from the role to charity.
The student says he will call for all parties to ensure at least 80% of their candidates hold a university degree and a master's in public administration.
“We need another type of system – we need the parties to function in the same way as a business would,” he adds.
Concerning the legal action against him for allegedly 'usurping public functions', or 'pretending' to be a representative of high-ranking government officials, Francisco Nicolás says he is more worried about taxpayers' funds being used in his trial.
