With so many innovations in election posters and surprising doubts about the final result, nothing feels settled for either side of the ideological spectrum. Two weeks after the 28M polls, on a Friday, May 12, a new election campaign begins in Alicante amid a pandemic. The headline repeats itself: the mayor, Luis Barcala, seeks to reassert his privileged position for the second time after five years in office, four of them with Ciudadanos as government partners. The remaining candidates for the City Council begin their campaigns with socialist Ana Barceló, former Health Minister during the epidemic, as Barcala’s main challenger for the mayoralty of Alicante.
The final push toward the 28M elections unfolds across seventeen days filled with uncertainty that would have been unimaginable a few weeks earlier. After debates that marked the end of the municipal mandate, including the resignation of PP councilor Manuel Jiménez and controversy over small contracts awarded around him for Las Hogueras, investigated by the same judge who handled former mayor Echávarri’s cases, plus Julia Llopis’s exit from the PP, the campaign entered a stage of heightened scrutiny due to the party’s reduced presence and low public profile of its members.
It also drew attention to the pause on coastal projects to cut costs, last‑minute city preparations such as the renovation of the Botanical Garden after years of neighbor complaints, and urgent street cleaning measures, alongside the threat of strikes as municipal officials faced a four‑year working horizon that held few guarantees.
Guaranteed success in Alicante mayoral candidate match
Instead, by leveraging the final phase of his term, a duo backed by a 2023 trade bonus recently, is expected to go on sale next week with preferences for youth and seniors. They planned an extraordinary plenary session in the middle of the campaign to close backlogs at the City Council: adjusting the extended Budget to safeguard European aid for future work, establishing a Low Emission Zone LEZ, unveiling a 1.4 million euro subsidy program for about forty social entities including the Federation of Fogueres, and a sweeping session addressing eight years of stalled plans for Central Park and the Intermodal Station.
Barcala is also seen as pulling 122 million in savings to fund subsidies for Hogueras and 41 other organizations. The PP, starting with nine councilors and currently at seven after the resignations, faces a reshuffled lineup with Vox entering the scene for the first time. A new administration face, Carmen Robledillo, emerges as a potential ally, while Mario Ortolá’s role on the council becomes less prominent as the list evolves.
In contrast, the right bloc previously held nine minutes of influence in 2019, while Vox had two minutes and Ciudadanos five as the third force in the Alicante plenary. Despite a national setback, Ciudadanos still eyes a challenge to stay present in the Alicante General Assembly, with Adrián Santos Pérez as the head of the Urbanism portfolio, anticipating that repeating past results may not be possible. The orange party hopes to keep its mark in the City Council after Ciudadanos joined Alicante in 2015 with six councilors and since then has shifted into a government partner role with the PP. The party’s slate draws on sectors such as hotel, festival, and culture to set expectations for polls and future appointments across autonomous regions including Andalusia and Castile and León.
The left, which entered the campaign with modest ambitions, now sees potential to return to the mayoralty. A comeback that began to take shape after 2015, followed by a tripartite arrangement that led to Echávarri’s resignation due to legal issues and Barcala’s subsequent ascendancy through a coalition deal. Support from a former Podemos member helped seal the mayor’s office.
break the tie
The socialist bloc held nine councilors four years ago, just two points ahead of the PP and roughly 2,000 votes clear. Unidas Podemos and Compromís then led on paper as an opposition inside the progressive bloc. Both small parties won two mayors; for the violet group, that result was costly, and for the Valencians, it was a setback from earlier successes.
Now the left has rewritten its headlines after a mandate marked by controversial governance. Ana Barceló, former Sax mayor, now heads a coalition named United for Alicante, steering a revamped socialist project. Manolo Kopeck, from Esquerra Unida, with Xavier López (Podemos) as a reference, stepped back after a deal among left partners. Compromís shows new faces with Rafa taking a prominent role. The three‑way dynamic of 2019 has shifted, and the left hopes for a stronger position in the next council.
Municipal elections in Alicante: Meet the candidates for Mayor
The 28M campaign in Alicante picked up pace as parties rolled out proposals, especially PP and PSOE. The PP vows to finish the local police station in Playa de San Juan and bolster neighborhood agents. Barcala pledged that if re-elected the City Council would acquire the old Astoria cinema to repurpose it for cultural use. He promised 150 new homes for young people and laid out a plan to split Benalúa into three projects across San Blas and Altozano while taking a firm stance on squatting.
The socialists outlined a Council of Elders, a plan to combat unwanted loneliness, active aging programs, and discounted access to essential services. Barceló proposed a large sports city project in the Northern Region, extending 308,000 square meters around Virgen del Remedio and Villafranqueza and enabling Alicante to host a high‑performance maritime center for the city.
meeting ends
In these crucial days, national leaders will visit, including Yolanda Diaz and Santiago Abascal. The central campaign event will be held this Saturday with the Generalitat candidate Joan Baldoví in a leading role. The socialist movement staged a major rally recently featuring Pedro Sánchez at the University of Alicante, while national party leaders considered participation in Alicante’s campaign.
Vehicles for city work: five proposals
Information has summoned Alicante’s mayors for a photo with election posters and a tool emblematic of their political projects. The socialist slate emphasized harmony and neighborhood equity. Barcala’s Barcelona candidate spoke of essential tools for city transformation. The United candidate Kope discussed building a new city with a different model. Compromís highlighted democratic reform and proactive governance. The Vox candidate Robledillo framed a broom as a symbol for sweeping the streets of Alicante and pushing the left from the Town Hall.
Mayor Luis Barcala did not attend the appointment, with the communications team citing an unexplained absence.