The popular Luis Barcala has been invested today as the new mayor of Alicante for the 2023-27 term with the vote in favor of the fourteen PP councilors, with whom he will govern alone during this legislature in the city of Alicante, which this year has become in the tenth most populous municipality in Spain.
Until now acting mayor and first mayor since 2018 has collected a total of 14 votes out of 29 possible, so that he accesses the position as a candidate from the list with the most votes in the elections on May 28, since no other candidate from the rest of the political forces has added an absolute majority.
The rest of the parties have voted for their respective heads of list; thus, the eight representatives of the PSPV-PSOE have opted for Ana Barceló; the four Vox councilors have endorsed Carmen Robledillo; the two councilors of Compromís have supported Rafa Mas; and the councilor for Unides per Alacant, Manolo Copé, has chosen himself.
Barcala, who this Thursday already detailed the municipal powers of each of his councilors, became Mayor five years ago after the resignation of the socialist Gabriel Echávarri due to his double judicial imputation and, since then, he governed first in a minority with nine councilors and, After the 2019 elections, he agreed with Ciudadanos, so this will be his first full legislature alone.
The plenary session began at 10:19 a.m. in the blue room of the City Council with the assistance of 218 people, including businessmen, political representatives and civil society, such as the acting Minister of Universities and Innovation, Josefina Bueno; the rector of the UA, Amparo Navarro; or his counterpart from the UMH, Juan José Ruiz.
In his investiture speech, Barcala has promised “a stable government team, sensible in its decisions”, and has assured that in his campaign he proposed to ask the people of Alicante if the city is better than four years ago: “It seems that the answer it is that yes”, has emphasized.
Likewise, he has insisted that he requested the confidence of the people of Alicante “to have enough confidence to govern alone” and that the PP has been voted to govern alone, “but not all of Alicante have voted for us and we are aware”.
For this reason, he has promised unity to “seek” broad agreements: “We will look for them and we will obtain them”, highlighted the mayor, who has stressed the responsibility he has and will govern “for all and for Alicante”.
He has maintained that he will continue “advancing through the transformation of Alicante, a city that is designed to be lived in” and that he cannot “continue to be the ‘ugly duckling’, the annoying neighbor to the south for Madrid and Valencia”.
“We need it to stop being ignored in transport or in the Torrellano variant. There is a change that is coming with Mazón in the Generalitat, which is committed to reversing the situation. We will not continue doing it alone”, he concluded.
For its part, the socialist Barceló has called for “high vision” to govern “for all”, while calling for “a clear course and a model for the city for the coming decades from the agreement”, which is why it has demanded “conclude the big projects”.
Robledillo, from Vox, has insisted on security and has asked that women “not be afraid to return home”, in addition to talking about lowering taxes and reducing subsidies, allocating those items to dependents.
For his part, the councilor for Compromís, Rafa Mas, has asked to stay away from those who “deny gender violence” and that “the administration be effective and solve problems by reinforcing public services”, while the councilor for Unides per Alacant, Manolo Copé, who has pledged allegiance to the King “by legal imperative”, has asked to remember the poor.
These are the 29 councilors of the new municipal corporation of Alicante:
For the PP: Luis Barcala Sierra; Manuel Villar Solá; Rocío Gómez Gómez; Antonio Gallego González; Ana Poquet Mas; Julio Calero Rey; Mari Carmen de España Menárguez; Antonio Peral Villar; Lidia López Rodríguez; Cristina García Garri; Cristina Cutanda Pérez; Nayma Bldjilali Pérez; Carlos de Juan Carrillo, and María Begoña León Brotons.
For the PSPV-PSOE: Ana Barceló Chico; Emilio Ruiz Serrano; Silvia Castell Lopez; Eduardo Rodriguez Fernandez; Trini Amorós Fillol; Miguel Castelló Hernández; Victoria Alba Melgosa Sancho; Raúl Ruiz Corchero.
By Vox: Carmen Oak Sanchez; Mario Ortola Martinez; Oscar Castle Marin, and John Utrera Utrera.
Por Compromís: Rafa Mas Muñoz and Sara Llobell Peralta.
For United We Can: Manolo Copé Tobaja.
