Reuniones
In Alicante, the Economic and Social Council and the Mayors Forum are advisory bodies linked to the Provincial Council, originally boosted during the previous mandate under the leadership of the current regional president, Carlos Mazón. In this current period, there has been no trace of these bodies. The Economic and Social Council and the Mayors Forum have not been summoned again, despite the governing team led by the Popular Party, which holds an absolute majority, taking office at the end of last July. Opposition voices describe this as evidence that the provincial government’s day-to-day activity has all but stalled.
From the government side, there is acknowledgment that the advisory bodies initiated by Mazón have not been convened. The absence of invitations to members in the second quarter of the previous year is explained as a response to 2023 being an atypical year, marked by two major elections, the regional and municipal elections on May 28 and the general elections on July 23. With the formation of the new Corporation, there was limited time left to invite business and social actors and provincial councilors. Nevertheless, officials insist that meetings will resume this year and that work is ongoing on the content these gatherings will cover, though no date is yet announced. The opposition voice, voiced by Vicente Arques, the spokesperson for the Socialist group, argues that MazónÂ’s administration used these bodies as a counterbalance to the Generalitat and that now there are no convocations or meetings, signaling a delay in the government’s overall agenda. Source: Provincial Council records.
Reuniones
The Economic and Social Council included representatives from the Provincial Council’s political groups, business sectors, and unions. In its sessions, actions were set to support industry and enterprise, explore the labor market, care for the elderly, combat poverty and the digital divide, and work on fire prevention. The Mayors Forum served as a meeting point for provincial councilors and aimed to enhance participation and dialogue with municipalities. It addressed issues such as attracting European funds and modernizing public administrations. Source: Provincial Council records.
The current socialist deputy in the Cortes, Yaissel Sánchez, who previously participated in Economic and Social Council meetings as secretary general of UGT in l’Alacantí, expresses disappointment about the current lack of convocations. She notes that the council once carried out valuable work and now seems to be without interest from the leadership. Source: Provincial Council records.