Carlos Bernabé is a psychologist and educational consultant who reiterates Cambiemos’s candidacy for Mayor of Orihuela, presenting himself as the only force willing to question the city’s urban and economic models and to propose viable alternatives. The party’s campaign centers on heritage, urban planning, and a healthy City Council, with the belief that Cambiemos can lead governance so that the same policies as always are not repeated under the PP-Cs and PSOE-Cs pairings.
QUESTION: Disappointment and stagnation at the drift of PP-Cs that have not been corrected in the past year after the reprimand. Does Cambiemos regret reaching a deal with PSOE?
REPLY: Regret would have made sense if the alternative to the deal—PP and Cs continuing to govern—had been better, but it wasn’t. For Orihuela, the prevailing sentiment is disappointment, not regret, because an opportunity was missed to hope for a bolder change. One reason for supporting the no-confidence motion was that Ms. Gracia became more entrenched, able to sign only with limited authority, and she still had room to maneuver to constrain or even block Cs, relying on Cambiemos to implement progressive policies, even in a minority. Unfortunately, the opposite choice was made: she allied with Cs and kept the same city and economic policies as before. The feeling is disappointment, but it also sharpens perspective: the only progressive alternative for Orihuela is to move forward and avoid repeating this scenario. To achieve that, Cambiemos Orihuela must be capable of leading the government.
Gracia chose to join Cs and maintain the same urban and economic policies
Q: Should Cambiemos have requested to join the government team so that Carolina Gracia would not fall into the hands of Ciudadanos?
A: With the current balance of forces in the City Council and the consistently submissive stance of both the PP and Gracia’s PSOE toward Cs, entering government would be a mistake. It would mean assemblies with no budget or room for maneuver and complicity in questionable decisions in urban planning or contracting. It would also signal being a counterweight to the government, failing to provide constructive opposition, and losing autonomy to follow the PP or Cs, which has characterized eight years. The aim is not power for power’s sake but to govern Orihuela to bring about change and improvement, which requires stable governance. This was not the moment for such a step.
Getting into government would be a mistake, it would mean having councilors without a budget, or being involved in perverse decisions in town planning or contracting.
Q: What did it mean to have two advisors from Cambiemos?
A: In many municipalities of Orihuela’s size, opposition groups have technical resources. Here, the opposite occurred. Since 2015, the PP and Cs have increased government salaries and made the opposition more unstable. Those policies reduce the opposition’s time and resources to act as a counterbalance and as an alternative to power, creating an institutional anomaly. After the no-confidence motion, Cambiemos hoped for a new framework that would assign moderate salaries to both government and opposition and provide technical staff to all groups. They did not have the power to enforce that path. Nevertheless, Cambiemos’ reliance on technical personnel has improved several areas, including Sports, Environment, and Participation; it has also allowed them to offer economic suggestions (still unfulfilled) and dedicate time and resources to continue challenging questionable decisions in Cala Mosca’s urbanization or in contracting.
Having the technical resources has helped Cambiemos continue to fight back against more than questionable decisions in the urbanization of Cala Mosca or the contracting space
Q: Transformative progress led by Cambiemos and supported by the PSOE was advocated. What makes them think Gracia and the socialist group will stage a comeback?
A: Need. If Cambiemos Orihuela performs well and leads a progressive government alternative, the PSOE will have to move away from Cs to join this progress and change. After eight years of PP-Cs governance and Gracia and Cs PSOE collaboration, Cambiemos Orihuela is seen as a meaningful option and should lead the alternative.
Q: Any objections to votes by those who will back Cambiemos to break the deadlock, even if they do not share a ballot at the regional or national level? Is there evidence this could shift from the majority parties?
A: Yes. In this campaign and over the years, a growing and diverse group of people has reached out. This is partly a result of asserting municipal autonomy. Progressive and transformative forces participate in Cambiemos, but all decisions and strategies are determined by Orihuela first and foremost. Local autonomy, an Orihuela-style transformative progressivism, and the solvency demonstrated in opposition have led many to view Cambiemos as a useful alternative to government, even though the party is not perfectly positioned for it. In some respects, the group shares the same coordinates with others.
Many people who are not perfectly aligned with the movement see Cambiemos as a useful alternative to government
Q: Give an example.
A: Cambiemos presents itself as an ecological force. It is clear that sectors not fully aligned with its framework may still vote for them. Orihuela’s urban and economic model, if left unchecked, risks environmental damage and insecurity. Constituents who want change may support the movement because it dares to question the status quo and proposes alternatives.
We are the only force that dares to question the urban and economic model that oppresses Orihuela
Q: In this campaign, the focus is on urbanism. What would be the most urgent measures?
A: Urban policy means tackling housing shortages, environmental sustainability gaps, the lack of land for green industry, growth limits in the districts, and the challenge of revitalizing the historic center along with sports, educational facilities, and cultural spaces. Many promises heard currently cannot be fulfilled without questioning urban policy, and Cambiemos is presented as the willing agent. A comprehensive plan is needed, along with targeted changes to address needs highlighted by recent governments, such as avoiding new tourist housing on the beach, which seems to be a recurring preference of the latest administrations.
There is a photo caption at the end identifying Carlos Bernabé alongside Tony Sevilla.
Q: What is your housing policy?
A: Orihuela should have a Ministry of Housing with a dedicated budget and resources. It would provide rent assistance, subsidize homeowners for rehabilitation and energy efficiency, increase public housing stock, and establish mediation or public assurance mechanisms concerning small, informal contracts and potential tenants. These measures would raise rental supply, help stabilize prices, and create a large number of construction jobs not tied to coastal building cycles.
Most of the promises heard in the campaign right now cannot be met if urban policy is not questioned
Q: Another core axis of the program concerns heritage. What is the approach there?
A: In terms of historic heritage, urgent steps include revitalizing the historic center, improving traditional neighborhoods, rehabilitating existing houses, and preserving, restoring, and rehabilitating assets such as the new museumization project for MARQUO, the Fortress and Walls Master Plan, pedestrianizing parts of the historic center, and continuing the Asset declaration and the Cultural Interest designation for several sites. These policies serve heritage and improve residents’ lives alike.
Q: And a healthier Town Hall?
A: Hiring reforms are needed to prevent large firms from profiting at the expense of service quality, and to curb precarious work conditions. Attention to contracts must improve to reduce public money losses and corruption risk. The City Council should move toward decentralization, transparent career progression, and reliable governance. Such changes would address both internal civil service fairness and external efficiency, benefiting neighbors.
The hiring policy is designed to make some large companies profit at the expense of lowering service quality
Q: How should Cambiemos improve garbage collection and street cleaning?
A: Two priorities: increase funding and modernize management while keeping it publicly owned. An ecological perspective should guide waste management, expanding the workforce, renewing the fleet, separating organic waste, increasing containers for source separation, developing composting projects, and enhancing pruning services. Embracing circular economy and waste recovery projects will reduce landfill waste, lower costs, and keep Orihuela cleaner and more sustainable.