After ten months in office, a motion of no confidence is set to take place in Maracena, a municipality in Granada, Spain, that could potentially remove the Popular Party from power. The Socialist Party of Maracena, with seven councilors, has gathered support from Izquierda Unida (three councilors) and Maracena Conecta (one councilor) to form a majority of 11 votes against the current government’s 10. The proposed new mayor, Carlos Porcel, is expected to take office one year after a Socialist councilor was kidnapped by the partner of the then Socialist mayor, causing local political upheaval.
The current government, supported by six PP votes, two Vox votes, two Quiero Maracena votes, and one Maracena Conecta vote, is facing a potential change in leadership with the support of Amabel Adarve Anguita, the current deputy mayor and councilor for Sports, Events, and Youth, who has joined forces with the Socialists and IU to form a new government. All councilors involved in the motion of no confidence have notarized their signatures with a public notary, a necessary step before presenting the motion. The Socialist Party plans to hold an extraordinary session on April 16 to vote on the new mayor.
In the last municipal elections of May 2023, the PSOE was the most voted party in Maracena, as has been the case since 2007, but did not win enough seats to govern alone or in coalition with IU. The lead-up to the elections was tumultuous, with a judicial investigation announced just three days before polling day related to the kidnapping of a Socialist councilor by the partner of the then mayor and Socialist candidate, Berta Linares. This investigation targeted Linares, her spokesperson Antonio García Leyva, and the former mayor of the city, Noel López, but ultimately resulted in no charges. The incident is cited by the PSOE as a factor in their lower-than-expected election results.
According to the signatories of the motion of no confidence, the ten months of Popular Party administration have been characterized by “incompetence, ineffectiveness, mismanagement, privatization attempts, labor disputes, and neglect of residents.” They argue that a change of direction is necessary to provide stability and a better future for Maracena. Carlos Porcel has criticized the current mayor’s management, citing a loss of democratic quality, a decline in service quality, and a string of scandals, including the exclusion of victims of gender violence from employment opportunities and a failure to submit timely documentation resulting in the loss of €400,000 in grants.
Despite concerns about potential divisions among the supporters of the motion of no confidence in the lead-up to the vote, both Porcel and García Leyva express confidence that the coalition will stay united. García Leyva notes that there may be pressures on the councilor of Maracena Conecta but believes that she, along with the Socialists, is unhappy with the current situation and will remain committed to the change in leadership. The outcome of the upcoming vote could dramatically alter the political landscape of Maracena and potentially lead to a new era of governance in the municipality.
