Julio Millán, a Socialist, has been elected as the new mayor of Jaén. The motion of censure presented by the 11 Socialist councilors and the three from the Jaén Merece Más (JM+) group against the PP mayor, Agustín González, was successful, with 11 councilors from the PP and two from Vox voting against it. This is the first provincial capital lost by the Popular Party since the municipal elections of 2023. With this motion, the PP loses the hegemony it had in the municipalities of the eight Andalusian capitals. Julio Millán, who previously governed the city from 2019-2023 with the support of Ciudadanos, regains the mayoralty thanks to an agreement with the provincialist party born within the platform of the Spain Vaciada movement. The focus of the agreement between the Socialists and JM+ is on measures to relieve the financial debt of Jaén, the highest per capita among cities with over 100,000 inhabitants.
The spokesperson for Jaén Merece Más, Luis García Millán, has blamed both the PP and the PSOE for the economic burden the city faces, expressing frustration over the year and a half of co-governance with the Popular Party. He stated that the motion is a result of the PP’s inaction, despite having the majority in the Andalusian Parliament. He questioned the loyalty of the PP, citing Jaén’s low investment ranking in the regional budgets for 2024 and 2025. The agreement does not include municipal debt forgiveness, which has been criticized by the PP, but rather restructuring measures such as the transfer of municipal assets for debt compensation, interest rate reductions, and payment deferments. These measures are aimed at approving the municipal budget in the first quarter of the year, as the Jaén City Council has not passed its annual budgets since 2017.
The agreement between the PSOE and JM+ has received the endorsement of both party leaders, with additional support from the PSOE’s deputy secretary general and Minister of Finance, María Jesús Montero, who played a role in facilitating the motion. The PP continues to denounce what they view as the “purchase” of the mayoralty by the central government, with the national vice secretary of Economics and party spokesperson in the province, Juan Bravo, warning against the misuse of public funds. This sentiment was echoed by Ana Mestre, the vice secretary of Municipal Policy for the Andalusian PP, who accused the PSOE of undermining solidarity principles.
Following the successful motion, Julio Millán emphasized the dawn of a new era of hope and trust, highlighting the alleged smear tactics and manipulation by the PP and the Andalusian government. He denied any allegations of buying the mayorship, attributing blame to the President of Andalusia, Juan Manuel Moreno (PP), for neglecting Jaén’s needs. The agreement between the Socialists and Jaén Merece Más also includes a Jaén investment fund similar to Teruel’s, as well as the continuation of the Jaén-Albacete highway, the A-32, and improvements to railway connections with Madrid and Seville, among other projects.
The decline of the railway in Jaén, which has been left behind in the era of high-speed rail (AVE), was a key issue for Jaén Merece Más, originally a grassroots movement and later a political party. Jaén, experiencing significant population decline in Andalusia, is the only municipality in the region with a party representing the Spain Vaciada movement in its local government. The presidency of Julio Millán marks a new chapter for Jaén, with hopes for revitalization and development on the horizon through collaborative efforts between the Socialists and JM+.
