Even a tragedy like the Valencia building fire fails to spark any real unity within the Alicante PSOE faction. The party’s ongoing crisis gave way to a fresh clash on Friday afternoon when it scheduled an executive session to set the timeline for the delegates’ vote ahead of the Extraordinary Congress the PSPV will hold from March 22 to 24 in Benicàssim, a town in Castellón. The event would serve as a stage for Diana Morant to take on the role of secretary general. The meeting, with no sense of urgency, could have easily waited a few days.
Cancelations
As information emerged about the number of Valencia fire victims and numerous political, social, and festive events were canceled, the Alicante PSOE faction led by former senator Ángel Franco pressed to hold the local executive session. A one-minute silence preceded the decision, but others in the party, including Eva Montesinos and Rafael Fonseca, declined to participate out of respect for Valencia.
Although the secretary general Miguel Millana had previously blocked a public appearance by the party’s leader and asked him to leave the socialist facilities, the municipal spokesperson Ana Barceló also voiced her opposition to holding the executive. In recent weeks, the factions led by Montesinos and Fonseca have joined forces to present candidates for the March congress delegates, aiming to start a movement that would challenge Franco and end the long-standing tensions in Alicante that have persisted for more than twenty years.
Among those who attended the executive were Sanchistas such as Antonio Mira-Perceval Graells and Sofia Morales, who criticized the factions uniting to challenge the ex-senator for not showing up at the meeting. Other attendees lamented that the direction of the PSOE in the provincial capital looks weaker than the socialist forces in Galicia, who faced a poor electoral result the previous Sunday.
Contrast
The stance of Franco’s camp, which favored holding the assembly, stood in stark contrast to the prevailing mood in politics that Friday. The president of the Generalitat, Carlos Mazón, proclaimed three days of mourning and canceled his schedule. The Alicante City Council, apart from a three-minute silence, suspended its municipal agenda and announced the cancellation of events like the Foguerer Infantil concert and the Way of the Cross yesterday, the barracas gatherings planned for today, and tomorrow’s Tamborrada. The neighborhood association at Parque del Mar also withdrew its planned protest for yesterday afternoon.
Regarding the executive content, it was announced that on March 10, at 8:00 p.m., an assembly would be held at the UGT headquarters in Alicante to elect the 23 delegates representing the Alicante group for the congress. Millana also expressed his support for Morant as she begins a new chapter as PSPV leader, succeeding Puig.
Iniciativa and Sumar did suspend their activities on the day. Other parties showed sympathy for the Valencia tragedy and chose to cancel local activities, while the ecosocialist branch of Compromís planned a general assembly. Yolanda Díaz’s platform intended to host a meeting in Elche to continue shaping its organizational structure in the Valencian Community.
The movement started by Mónica Oltra now includes Aitana Mas among its leaders. It aimed to discuss its space within Compromís and to reinforce its role on the left flank of the coalition, especially regarding alliances with Podemos, Esquerra Unida, and Sumar. Iniciativa presents itself as a bridge for Compromís alliances with Yolanda Díaz’s coalitions.
Sumar had scheduled a gathering in Elche for Saturday, followed by three more events next week in Alicante, Villena, and Orihuela. The Elche event would be the second meeting organized by Díaz’s political project after the mid-December gathering in the provincial capital. These meetings are intended to help build a formal party structure in the autonomous community where none existed before.
— End of rewritten content — [Citation attribution: Valencia fire response and regional political developments report].