A civil support platform for Ximo Puig, the head of the Generalitat, continues to build momentum in the province. This citizens movement, which self-identifies as independent, appeared in Alicante and Vega Baja before arriving in Elche as part of a broader plan to visit every region and widen its social base around the PSPV leadership during Puig’s ongoing term. The platform emphasizes Puig’s eight-year leadership of the Generalitat and aims to mobilize broad support for the regional socialist candidate. When pressed about its backers, including the author-researcher and former CDS member Gerardo Muñoz, the group insists they want votes for Ximo Puig and notes that some platform supporters may vote for other options in local and general elections. They make clear their objective is to secure backing for Puig, not for the PSOE as an organization, though they acknowledge colleagues within the platform who might cast ballots for different parties at the local level.
La Vega Baja shows continued backing for Ximo Puig in his bid for reaffirmation as president.
Supporters insist they are ordinary citizens without party affiliation and want Puig to remain president of the Generalitat Valenciana. They reference similar dynamics in Castile y León, where concerns arise about coalitions involving PP and Vox. The message is simple: Puig should avoid such alignments and continue to lead, a stance that resonates with many families who fear a government linked to Vox at the regional level.
Citizens are invited to sign up through the web platform ximopresident.org. Lead author and researcher Gerardo Muñoz assures there is momentum behind the campaign, though he does not reveal exact figures. “I don’t know the precise number of entries,” Muñoz says. “There are thousands in the Community of Valencia and hundreds in the province of Alicante.”
Further details describe the platform as apolitical, presented at the center Hort del Xocolater, where supporters from the Baix Vinalopó region join the pro-Ximo Puig movement. Among them are Carlos Gosalbez, director of Elche General Hospital and former socialist councilor, UMH professor and socialist exile Michael Orstheater, Paco Macia, Deputy Director of General Hospital Nursing and Primary Care, Carolina Garrido, and Manoli Ibarra. Also named are Pepe Orts, Elche artist Sol Pérez, and professor Carlos Sánchez as supporters.
Organizers claim Puig has become the best president of the Generalitat in history and express hope he will remain in office for at least four more years. They highlight investments in the Baix Vinalopó region during the current legislature, including a total of 174 million euros, with 155 million in Elche, 12.5 million in Santa Pola, and almost 7 million in Crevillent. Projects span new housing in Los Palmerales and San Antón, the construction of IES Vicente Verdú, the upcoming Altabix health center, and substantial renovation of the AAT.
Supporters describe Puig’s politics as characterized by practicality and seriousness, insisting the leader defends the most vulnerable groups, including children, youth, LGBTQ+ communities, and people with disabilities. In addition to gathering civilian support for Puig in the May elections, the platform plans to hold events in various cities to collect proposals and relay them to Puig, with a promise to involve supporters as much as possible in his electoral program.
A group of independents from Alicante helps promote the support platform for Puig.
Pensioners and civil servants
The platform’s backers are primarily retirees and civil servants, though they acknowledge that some PSOE senators are registered as independents within the movement. The “Ximo President” platform is scheduled to hold an event in Elche on April 28, featuring a meeting with Members of the European Parliament Non-Hispanic, and the presence of the head of the Consell as part of the program.
This is not the first time a civic platform has formed to back Ximo Puig’s candidacy. In 2019, around twenty professionals from science, culture, and civil society gathered to promote the pro-Puig platform El reto es sumar in support of the Generalitat’s president and socialist candidate Ximo Puig. Supporters at the time argued that such efforts were geared toward resisting hostile, xenophobic, and anti-feminist backlashes.