Andorran Board Clears Doctors' CASS Candidacy Despite Union Conflict Objection

The Andorran electoral board has approved the candidacy of rehabilitation specialists Mercè Avellanet and Anna Boada for salaried worker seats on the CASS administration council, dismissing a union-backed challenge over potential conflicts from their roles at Servei Andorrà d’Atenció Sanitària (SAAS) and as CASS-contracted professionals.

The board, chaired by Mayor Alexandra Terés and including two other mayors alongside lawyers from major parliamentary groups, released its decision on Wednesday. It rejected the objection filed by Sipaag-affiliated civil servants Salustià Chato and Cèlia Realp, who contended that the candidates' dual status as SAAS employees and self-employed CASS providers would trigger frequent abstentions under Article 114 of the Administrative Code.

Applying a strict legal standard, the board pointed to Article 70 of Law 17/2008, which enumerates specific incompatible positions for CASS council members—excluding contracted doctors or liberal professionals with public contracts. Restrictions on the right to stand for election must remain exceptional and confined to explicitly listed cases, the resolution stated.

The board also referenced Article 69.2, which permits multiple professional statuses but restricts candidacies to a single electoral college. Candidates like Avellanet and Boada, qualifying as salaried workers, may therefore run in that category despite overlapping eligibility.

On conflict risks, the board clarified that such matters emerge after election and are handled via abstention requirements, not candidacy bans. It dismissed concerns over potential quorum failures or council paralysis as speculative, stressing that no law caps sector representation and that operational oversight rests with the formed council.

A related request for an ethics notice on conflicts was denied, as the board's remit under Law 17/2008 and electoral law covers only candidacy validation, not prospective advice or ethical rulings. Abstention compliance falls to CASS bodies or courts.

Chato and Realp, representing a rival union-supported list, confirmed they will not appeal to the Superior Court of Justice within the 24-hour deadline. Salustià Chato described the board's logic as sound given existing rules, which he views as overly permissive. The challenge aimed to spotlight the issue and push for law changes to bar candidates with such conflicts before the June 17 elections.

The ruling aligns with CASS's earlier endorsement of the medical candidacy, clearing Avellanet and Boada to proceed.