Alex Trelinski
LOWER TAXES, a ‘shock cleaning’ plan, and more police are on the agenda for Valencia’s next mayor, Maria Jose Catala, who produced a big win for the Partido Popular in Sunday’s municipal elections.
The PP ousted current Compromis mayor, Joan Ribo, with Jose Catala’s party gaining five seats in Sunday’s vote.
In outlining plans for her first 100 days in office, Jose Catala said the PP would govern alone but would seek a ‘consensus’ with the Vox party as it does not have an overall majority.
Elsewhere in Valencia province, the PSOE socialists are expected to remain in charge of Gandia after adding a seat, while the PSOE-Compromis coalition in Oliva suffered a big blow with a total of seven seats, compared to ten won by the Projecte Oliva group.
Tavernes is uncertain despite the PP becoming the largest single party, with left-wing parties having the chance to keep them out by one vote if they can all agree.
The PP’s Toni Perez swept back in at Benidorm, while neighbouring Finestrat saw Juan Francisco Perez romp home- taking 11 of the 13 seats.
Bernabe Cano had an easy win for the PP in La Nucia and the party is set to take over in charge of Villajoyosa under Marcos Zaragoza.
In better news for the PSOE, they boosted their majority in l’Alfas del Pi while it appears that leading party Compromis will do a deal with the PSOE to ensure they continue running affairs in Altea.
Benissa and Teulada Moraira stay under PP control but Denia’s PSOE mayor, Vicent Grimalt will need to reach an accommodation with Compromis after losing his overall majority.
There were just 34 votes between the PSOE and PP in Javea, with socialist mayor Jose Chulvi saying that it was his goal to win the elections and that ‘they’d achieved it’.
Having lost his majority and with one seat more than the PP, Chulvi is expected to work with the two elected Ciudadnos councillors.
The messiest picture is in Calpe where mayoress Ana Sala quit the PP and formed her own party, Somos Calpe, which performed well to gain six seats.
The PP candidate Cesar Sanchez took eight seats, leaving five councillors from three left-of-centre parties for Sala and Sanchez to woo before the new mayor is inaugurated on June 17.
READ MORE:
- Conservative Partido Popular ousts left-wing coalition that has ruled Spain’s Valencia region since 2015
- Partido Popular make big municipal election gains but socialists see off challenge in parts of Spain’s southern Costa Blanca
