Transfers between the People’s Party and Ciudadanos have unfolded since the election announcement, and Elda stands out as a clear example. Since Paco Sánchez left the orange lineup and stepped down as a councilor at the January plenary, a sequence of entrances and exits between the two parties has dominated local news. With electoral boards now open for candidacies, Elda faces an unusual plenary session: all PP mayors will change except Alberto García, and Ciudadanos remains as the other exception, with neither side submitting a written resignation.
In short, as of today none of the mayors sit as members of a party they are not listed for, and most notably they are not technically asylum seekers because they have not declared departure from their formation. Both parties say they have verbally informed the mayor and will wait for the next ordinary general meeting, held on the last Friday of each month, to officially say goodbye. If the next plenary on April 28 proceeds, the scene will show the PP bench and Ciudadanos bidding farewell.
Many nuances
Two versions reflect the two political narratives. The PP, led by Paco Sánchez and running for local elections, has already submitted its list, which includes four current Ciudadanos councilors: Loles Esteve Juan, Cristina Juan Ortuño, Patricia Frade Roca, and Francisco Pérez master. A national figure, Cuca Gamarra, is expected to attend this Friday from the party leadership, while Sánchez aimed to avoid a photo that might provoke a reaction. He also indicated a forthcoming meeting with his team to discuss a swift resignation. If the resignation happens within the next 24 hours, the photo could be saved, but Ciudadanos would be left without representation for the final month, creating a potential power vacuum as Ana León, set to replace Sánchez, has not yet taken ownership.
Ciudadanos’ exit appears to have included a formal minutes’ resignation, though the signature of Fran Muñoz, the current PP deputy spokesperson, suggested otherwise.
Paco Sánchez asserts there will be no refugees in Elda. He points to his own experience, noting that the council initially took two months to fulfill his permit, and during his absence, it was made clear that he remained a legislator until the next list member took office.
This political dynamic mirrors the transition within the new Ciudadanos, led by former PP president Fran Muñoz, who has long been associated with the party. The mayor confirmed yesterday that the roadmap will be kept and that farewell will be delivered at the next plenary. He has already stepped down from the party chairmanship and relinquished the spokesperson role, but he insists that saying goodbye cannot be done in the absence of formal resignation.
Muñoz has served as the orange party’s official candidate for several weeks, accompanied by three of his four councilors. He notes that he will depart the meeting when the general assembly convenes, while the list will begin to run through the PP and substitutes will enter the City Council. Muñoz recalls, from his own experience, how swift communication can be, mentioning José Mateos, who left the People’s Party last term to lead Vox and later left that party as well. Mateos became an unaffiliated councillor.
“If there had been an extraordinary general meeting earlier, I would have done the same,” Muñoz explains, arguing that this is an official matter. At present, no formal call has been made.
With time running out, those who depart will not be paid any substantial housing benefits; instead, the process involves modest allowances for attending the general assembly and for participating in each commission held in the weeks ahead. It appears unlikely that the schedule responds primarily to financial criteria; rather, the aim seems to be to avoid giving any advantage to other abbreviations and to prevent defections that could destabilize party lists.