Alcoy’s opposition is almost entirely renewing their candidacy ahead of the municipal elections scheduled for next May. The current mayor and re-election candidate, socialist Toni French, will be measured against a slate that features many newcomers compared with 2019. The sole exception that remains plausible, though not yet confirmed, would be Vox spokesperson David Abad. Other groups already represented in the city council are set to present fresh faces in these elections.
The most recent party to confirm this refresh is loyalty, which announced that Alex Cerra would run for mayor, serving as the municipal group secretary over the past four years. In 2019, Cerra ranked sixth among the candidates, skipping the two mayors returned in that election. At that time, Cerra topped the party list and continued as the group’s spokesperson through the current term. Marius Ivorra had said he would not repeat his previous role a few weeks earlier, but that decision stemmed from the party’s parliamentary plan, indicating a willingness to keep going. The new candidate has shown a strong readiness to take on the challenge of leading the ticket.
What happened at Compromís guarda? A certain resemblance to what occurred in PPGiven that he was Alcoy’s mayoral candidate in 2019 and the municipal group’s spokesperson until the next May elections, Quique Ruiz also saw his bid to repeat as the top on the list stall. Since this newspaper had already published on this matter, the appointment of the popular candidate Carlos Pastor was a direct choice. Carlos Mazón, regional leader of the PP and president of Diputación de Alicante, explained to this newspaper that he is working closely with the current spokesperson until the elections, and it is likely that the remaining mayors will also appear on the list.
Relays of their own free will in Guanyar and Podem
There will be several new faces on the election posters for Guanyar Alcoi and Podem compared with 2019. In the Esquerra Unida orbit, which ran a candidate in previous elections, Sandra Obiol left the council seat last summer in a move that surprised many in Alcoy. In the primary process conducted by the organization in recent months, she was the sole name to indicate willingness to head the May 2023 list. Exhibition Rodriguez Castellowas was confirmed as a mayoral candidate last December. In 2019, Rodriguez ranked seventh on the list.
The Podem slate already includes a different speaker from the 2019 lineup. Naiara Davó, who led the nomination in 2019, had sat on the Generalitat lists and resigned from parliament. A few months after taking office, she was named spokesperson for the group in the Cortes, a post she would likely have left behind when Pilar Lima, the regional education coordinator, stepped in in 2021. The group’s spokesperson later dropped Cristian Santiago, who was second on the list four years ago but announced that he would not continue. He plans to run for mayor after the next election. The nominee will eventually be Trini Rubio, who finished fifth in 2019.
The remaining question is what will happen to Ciudadanos, whose future remains unclear ahead of the May elections. Marcos Martinez, who was number two in the 2019 candidacy, left the party in April 2021, though he remains an unaffiliated councilor. Last week, he announced the formation of a new slate called Acción Democrática Independiente.