Before the mandatory meeting in Ferraz, the Alicante regions were betting on reaching a prior agreement between the three candidates to lead the PSPV: Diana Morant, Alejandro Soler and Carlos Fernández Bielsa. The party is looking for new leadership to take over from Ximo Puig. This is one of the biggest takeaways from discussions with seven district secretaries in the state over the last few days. There are more common views, such as everyone claiming that Alicante should gain more weight in the new administration. Before the chapter call by PSOE Organizing Secretary Santos Cerdán, when it came to positioning with one candidate or another, there were only three regions that did so openly with Soler: Baix Vinalopó, Marina Baixa and Alto y Medio Vinalopó.
L’ALACANTÍ
The district with the largest number of militants eligible to vote is l’Alacantí, whose regional secretary is Baltasar Ortiz. The veteran politician recognizes the need to renew the party after losing the Generalitat government after eight years. In that sense, he hoped that since the beginning of the week PSPV had “learned and improved so that the same mistakes after Joan Lerma’s time are not repeated.” Ortiz had expressed a preference for a preliminary agreement that would eliminate the need to resort to primaries before making it official, which Ferraz imposed on Morant last Tuesday by forcing two of his rivals to resign. Of course, he demands equal representation of the three states of the Community in the new socialist administration.
The regional secretary of L’Alacantí assures that the three candidates who were initially there were “excellent options”, but the provincial secretaries of Alicante and Valencia admit that they know much more about Soler and Bielsa than Minister Morant, who was eventually elected. Ferraz. When asked about Madrid’s influence on the PSPV process, he stated that Ferraz’s preference was “peace and unity”, so an agreement was reached that prevented conflicts.
VEGA BAJA
Joaquin Hernandez
A positive opportunity to revitalize PSPV following the election results on 28 May. That’s how Joaquín Hernández, regional secretary of Vega Baja, saw the process of electing the new secretary general this week. Like Ortiz, the mayor of Dolores argues that the three states should be represented in the party’s decisions.
Hernández also favored a primary agreement that would avoid primaries, so in his opinion the best option was a single “consensus” candidacy. In this context, he considers Minister Morant to be the “most popular” option for reaching this consensus. Regarding the final decision that Gandia’s former mayor is the only candidate, he emphasized that “the best thing that can happen is the emergence of a strong and united PSPV” and emphasized that Soler gave “an example” of how to act in this situation. his sideways step
BAIX VINALOPE
Vicente Alberola
The Baix Vinalopó region is one of the regions that favors Soler the most, because this is its origin. In fact, the state secretary chose Elche’s socialist headquarters to announce his candidacy on January 26, four days before expelling Morant from Madrid. Baix Vinalopó’s regional secretary, Vicente Alberola, supports the “new phase coming”, which he describes as “exciting” regardless of “everyone thinking a certain way”. With this in mind, he claims that what we need to do now is “get to work.”
It was evaluated that Soler from this region was described as the candidate who “knows the inside of the party best” and that the militants should make “free” decisions, requiring “neither a power struggle nor trauma”. There will be no voting after all. The slogan chosen by the Elche candidate was “militancy drive”, which he announced at an event attended by around 300 of his party colleagues.
MARINA BAIXA
Mayte Garcia
Another district that favored Soler was Marina Baixa, which led to him assuming leadership of the party at the state level, as in the primaries. After learning on Tuesday that Morant would be the sole candidate, Mayte García, the regional secretary of this region, declared that the former mayor of Elche was playing “his part”. What he mainly appreciates about his performance is that he avoids conflicts between colleagues. «Primaries mobilize parties, but they also force people to take strong positions. The problem with this is people who treat this as a personal thing and not as a democratic practice,” says García.
Already reflecting on the short-term current situation of the PSPV and the negotiations that Morant, Soler and Bielsa are carrying out to shape the next manager, the regional secretary confirms that “the most important thing is to create a good working team” and that “the province is no longer represented as such, but to a greater extent Finally, Soler emphasizes that although he submitted his candidacy, he “always left the door to negotiation open.”
HIGH AND MEDIUM VINALOPE
Fulgencio Cerdan
The last of the regions to unequivocally express their support for Soler in the first race were Alto and Medio Vinalopó. «The three candidates initially there have sufficient experience, but I want the province to be more represented in PSPV than it has been so far. Someone from Alicante would guarantee this,” says regional secretary Fulgencio Cerdán. In this sense, he was of the opinion that the Valencian federation “has statutes and rules of the game” that would resolve the selection of the future general secretary.
After Ferraz imposes Morant, Cerdán points out that “a consensual solution is being sought”, but insists that he wants the minister and the two state secretaries to “confront their party models”. Regarding Soler’s personality, he adds: “He has become stronger in the eyes of the state and will have a strong position within the new PSPV executive.”
HIGH NAVY
José Ramiro
The two Alicante districts closest to “Ximism” in recent years are Marina Alta and l’Alcoià, further north. Regarding the events within the PSPV in recent weeks, Marina Alta regional secretary José Ramiro considers it “good news” that an “agreement” was reached with Morant in the form of a mere “candidate”. and integration.”
Regarding Madrid’s push for the minister to be the next secretary general, Ramiro states that “Ferraz wants the best for PSPV.” He describes Morant as “an invaluable asset” to the Valencian socialists; He uses the same adjective for both Soler and Bielsa. «Puig’s succession is not being imposed but as a natural process within the party. “I don’t think this will lead to any internal ruptures,” concludes the Marina Alta provincial MP.
L’ALCOIÀ
Raphael Briet
L’Alcoià’s regional secretary, Rafael Briet, celebrates “an agreement between the three people who presented their candidates.” He says he wants the decision to come sooner if the top three candidates do not have to publicly announce their candidacy. “The most important thing is that we come out of this process united, dialogue and agreement prevail.” He hopes that the “best project” will now be presented to citizens. He describes Morant as “a winning bet and a leader who has proven his worth wherever he has been.”
Before Ferraz’s decision on Tuesday became known, Briet was already clearly favoring a preliminary agreement. “If we get to the primaries and problems arise, there will be no solution. “Ferraz will do his best to help our federation,” Briet predicted.