Diana Morant. In these days of speculation about the makeup of the new Council of Ministers, she is not the only Valencian facing potential shifts within the state apparatus. Today, around a dozen Valencians holding high-level positions in national structures await the organizational chart announced by Pedro Sánchez, and many of them are attached to different portfolios. The chart remains highly secret and will be unveiled today.
The decisions taken by the prime minister will not directly affect Valencian figures such as Cristina Moreno, Francisco Mulero, Carmen Collado, or Rita Bosaho, who operate at mid-levels within the executive branch. Yet the impact could grow in the coming weeks, as changes at the top of departments may cascade downward, similar to what was seen with earlier shifts involving José Luis Ábalos or Carmen Montón in Transport and Health.
Both were appointed ministers in Sánchez’s first cabinet after a no-confidence motion in 2018. Their arrival was accompanied by participation from several Valencian Community residents, given that the portfolio head assembled a trusted team. Justo Herrera, Ricardo Campos Fernández, and Patricia Lacruz followed a path from the Health Ministry to other departments, and some found themselves outside that department once their allies moved on.
A similar pattern emerged with figures named by Ábalos, such as Francisco Toledo, former head of the State Ports, or José Vicente Berlanga, formerly of Enusa (National Uranium Company). Yet some remained, including Cristina Moreno, Seitt director general, and Transport general secretary María José Rallo, both reporting to Raquel Sánchez and not guaranteed to continue leading in their fields.
Josep Vicent Boira, the Mediterranean corridor commissioner, also reports to this ministry. The Cercanías coordinator for the Valencian Community, Juan Carlos Fulgencio, and Francesc Romeu, a member of the State Ports, were appointed by Ábalos in the prior arrangement. In March 2023, Nuria Matarredona was named general manager of Urban Agenda and Architecture within the same department, following her time at Botànic.
The relationship of trust between the ministry’s head and various successors can be assessed, according to Carlos Marco. The current undersecretary of the Ministry of Science previously worked with Morant on the Gandia Town Council as the head of the town’s Smart City project. The former mayor’s departure could affect Marco, but Morant’s name is also mentioned among those expected to maintain influential roles in the administration.
Effects of the Sumar scenario
Other Valencian socialists examining the government’s composition include Francisco Mulero, president of the State Agricultural Infrastructure Association and former regional secretary; and Gabriela Bravo, director general of the Public Justice Service and former director general of Justice at the Consell, along with Maria Àngels García Vidal. Past cases like Ana Botella, who served as Minister of State for Security until the government reshuffle in 2020, serve as reminders that cabinet positions are never entirely guaranteed when leadership changes occur.
The task of Podem’s two most recent representatives in the Spanish Government is particularly challenging. After María Teresa Pérez left the Youth Institute, Carmen Collado, head of Labor Inspection, and Rita Bosaho, director general of Equal Treatment and Racial-Ethnic Diversity, became the last Podem figures in the central administration.
Bosaho’s situation is notably complex because Irene Montero is tied to the Ministry of Equality, signaling that control may rest with the PSOE; Collado, meanwhile, sits in the Díaz department, and Héctor did not resign to enter Illueca’s lists. Podem led the second-highest vote tally in Valencia’s party primaries. Collado had responsibility for signing the sentence against Glovo, but it remains unclear whether the recent clashes between the party leadership and Podemos will affect her standing.