Budget and Strife at Alicante’s Provincial Council

The latest regular plenary session felt like a replay—as if the calendar never moved. Before the elections on the 28th, Alicante County Council had been dominated by the Cooperation Fund, a body at the center of a major jurisdictional dispute. The friction created a widening gap between the provincial authority led by Carlos Mazón and the Generalitat headed by Ximo Puig, the two principal rivals facing the vote. The government team argued for the Provincial Assembly’s autonomy, while opposition members from PSPV and Compromís blamed delays in budget execution, among other concerns. The debate occurred as the Generalitat’s appeal against the distribution principles of its 2024 investment plan was approved in session.