Socialists are enabling selection mode. Led by Pedro Sánchez, the party has stepped up preparations for the next municipal elections scheduled for May 2023. The approved calendar for nominating roster heads foresees that names will be confirmed before year end. There are twelve mayors in Alicante province who have already received green light from the PSOE Federal Committee to return to leadership projects in their areas. Ferraz stated that seasoned leaders in charge of towns in Turkey should be considered for renewal. In areas with populations over 20,000, a mayor may be re-elected without a formal primary, bypassing another round of leadership input. The instruction indicates that votes from the previous ballot box influence the current slate, signaling a defensive firewall against internal clashes in the Alicante region.
The state has 26 municipalities with populations over 20,000, and a dozen are led by socialist councilors. Each has the backing of Sánchez’s party to lead the nominations again, according to the agreement approved by the Federal Committee. Among them are several county seats. Carlos González governs Elche; Toni Frances leads Alcoy; Jesús Villar presides San Vicente del Raspeig; Carolina Gracia oversees Orihuela; Rubén Alfaro heads Elda; and Vicen Grimalt runs Denia. The first mayors of La Vila Joiosa, Villena, Petrer, Novelda, Xàbia, and l’Alfàs del Pi also have the chance to repeat at the top of the list. In principle, all are expected to maintain their lead, with the aim of sustaining voting momentum as the prime minister focuses on political longevity.
Mayors of Elche, Orihuela, Elda, Alcoy, San Vicente del Raspeig, and Dénia are highlighted in photos tied to the coverage.
Specifically, the document outlining the schedule of primaries and candidate selections for May 28, 2023 states that primaries should generally be held in towns with more than 20,000 residents unless the PSOE occupies the presidency in government. If the current leader is seeking re-election, the typical process can be bypassed.
The continuity favored by the party’s top nomination body helps reduce doubts in several provincial hotspots and opens the possibility of placing elder leaders at the top of lists for their councils. As Alberto Núñez Feijóo’s PP gains traction in polls, factions are urged to align, setting aside internal disputes. A notable scenario unfolds in Elche, where speculation swirls about González pursuing a third term with local support. In the Illicitano term, the party is controlled by national MP Alejandro Soler, who is allied with the first current of sanchismo but not fully aligned with the sitting alderman. González backed secretary of state Toni Frances, the candidate who faced Soler in primaries and later lost a civil contest over party control.
Alternatives to Elche’s current mayor have remained stable, but the Federal Committee’s stance is helping to dispel lingering doubts. If González seeks to repeat, he would have a clear path from Ferraz’s influence; in such cases, the candidacy led by the councilor who won the previous election drew nearly 37 percent of the vote. If he ends up as the headliner, he could lead his own slate.
Secretariat in the Air
Orihuela presents another uncertain case as the group contemplates its approach to candidate nominations for local elections. Vega Baja remains the lone county seat where the Socialists have not renewed organic leadership at the local level. PSPV terms aligned with a no confidence move elevated socialist Carolina Gracia to mayor in April of the current year. Ferraz then postponed primaries to the party’s general secretary in Orihuela, where Gracia was set to face Antonio Zapata, a former councilor linked to a rival bloc. Although the process was expected to restart before summer, it did not occur. The PSOE’s choice to retain mayors as candidates leaves Zapata out of the ballot and blocks substitution in the council candidacy.
San Vicent del Raspeig is another municipality where the federal directive blocked internal revolt in the race to the top of the list. The group endured a turbulent legislative period due to internal opposition to the mayor, Jesús Villar. The candidate backed by parliamentary member Asun Paris won the primary over Miguel Ángel Mora, the Soler-leaning candidate who later lost the civil contest. This outcome strengthened the mayor’s position, though it remained unclear whether the candidate would be elected without a primary ahead of the municipal elections.
The nomination process established by the Federal Committee does not fully clarify the status of Socialists in municipalities governed by coalitions, even when they do not hold the mayoralty. In Crevillent, José Manuel Penalva serves as the first deputy mayor with Compromís leading. He oversees the party at the local level. In Altea, Miguel de la Hoz Sellés acts as the spokesperson for the socialist group sharing power with the Valencians, with general secretary Anna Lanuza guiding the group. In San Joan d’Alacant, Jaime Albero was mayor during the first half of the term and last year handed the Mayoralty to Cs through a management agreement at the start of his term.
The agenda set by the PSOE implies that when October 9 coincides with local elections, the first priority will be to align. The PSPV will request a slight delay to avoid Valencia Community Day. It remains uncertain where processes will take place if a vote is held. The guiding motto for the socialists is to minimize internal elections and to keep signing agreements. Unity is the aim, projecting stability after political upheavals in other regions.
The nomination deadline is September 19-20, with three major cities requiring agreement to support candidates and improve results. Alicante, Benidorm, and Torrevieja are the focal names.
Ximo Puig and All Regional Leaders Repeat
The leadership of PSPV-PSOE general secretary Ximo Puig appears solidified at the party’s top level, and he is expected to be the candidate for the next regional elections, all aligned with the municipal elections on May 28. The Ferraz plan protects district heads as it does for mayors of larger towns, allowing incumbents to re-run without a primary. PSPV-PSOE emerged as the party with the most votes in the last election, securing nearly 24 percent and 27 seats, eight more than the PP. The regional heads participating in the call for elections in Castilla-La Mancha, Extremadura, the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands, Asturias, Aragon, La Rioja, and Navarra have priority access for the nomination process.