Diana Morant already has her praetorian guard ready to push into the Valencian Generalitat, if nothing changes, in 2027. The first day of the PSPV congress, held in Benicàssim, laid bare the main secrets about the leadership team of the new Valencian Socialist leader, names familiar already: the Alicante-born Alejandro Soler as president, and Carlos Fernández Bielsa as secretary of the board. In this new lineup with Morant at the helm, Vicent Mascarell stands out, set to steer the party as Secretary of Organization, along with Pilar Bernabé, who will head the Institutional Area. The Alicante province will also have a second voice in that top tier: Rubén Alfaro, the mayor of Elda, who will act as spokesperson for the Executive. Likewise, Tania Baños, mayor of la Vall d’Uixó, representing Castellón, will chair the Council of Mayors.
Although these initial names have been revealed, the most relevant figures in the socialist leadership have yet to be fully confirmed. It seemed close after a late-night meeting between Soler, Bielsa, and Morant, since the three had not been able to convene until after the municipalism event led by the minister Pilar Alegría. The mood remained positive and only a few fine points remained to be settled. Throughout the day yesterday, Ángel Franco was seen only with the most faithful.
The identities already known are all trusted figures for the minister of Science, Innovation and Universities, who has drawn on close allies to assemble her team. In Alfaro’s case, both leaders share a strong rapport that stretches back to Morant’s time as mayor of Gandia.
Of the positions unveiled yesterday, the only one tied to the province is Alfaro, the current mayor of Elda and the head of Morant’s campaign for the extraordinary congress. He has led the Valencian Federation of Municipalities and Provinces during the Botànic governments, and he was aligned with Puig until he cut ties with the then head of the Generalitat just before the last provincial congress, backing the unofficial Soler candidacy, which ultimately won the leadership in Alicante.
Since 2008, Alfaro has served as local secretary of the Valencian Socialists in Elda. He first ran for mayor in 2011, though Adela Pedrosa of the PP won that vote. Four years later, Alfaro took the reins. He was re-elected in 2019 and again in 2023, maintaining the mayoralty after a deal with Elda para Todos that left the absolute majority in the urns.
Still, the most anticipated name at this congress is Mascarell, a Gandia councilor who was once Morant’s mayor. Organization is a key post for which several names have circulated in recent weeks, including Mascarell himself. The main reason for his selection is the strong trust between the urban planning councilor and Morant, which reinforces the minister’s position after the recent Madrid-driven decision.
The new socialist leader who will also appoint the new Secretary of Organization has known Morant since entering politics in 2011. They both appeared on the PSPV municipal list, which lost to Arturo Torró’s PP, and both were considered as potential leaders in 2015. Ultimately, the party chose Morant, who won the mayoralty, with Mascarell as part of her team.
Mascarell’s appointment benefits from his familiarity with the party’s inner mechanics. He has spent years within the party’s structures; before becoming Organization Secretary under Bielsa, he held this role in Mercedes Caballero’s leadership, then aligned with the ex-minister Ábalos. This background demonstrates his ability to broker agreements. His standing with other factions of the party and Morant’s trust have tipped the scales in his favour, even though critics note the overrepresentation of Gandia in the new leadership.
Pilar Bernabé was another name discussed for leading the Organizational area. Ultimately, she will head the Institutional Area, a remit previously held by Alfaro, who has led it in recent years. Bernabé has also served as the spokesperson for the executive in recent months following Ana Domínguez’s resignation.
Among the four confirmed names yesterday is also Tania Baños, the mayor of la Vall d’Uixó in Castellón, who will assume the presidency of the Council of Mayors. This body is a new platform intended to give visibility to the PSPV’s mayors and councilors and will report directly to the general secretariat. Her name was among those considered for the future.
“We are opening a new phase with a renewed and consensual team.” Morant defends that the PSPV should be a “useful tool” for citizens.
Diana Morant inaugurated a new phase for the PSPV with a renewed and territory-consensus-driven team that represents the entire Valencian Community, across all its counties and municipalities. Those were her first remarks upon arriving at the Benicàssim congress where she would be ratified as leader of the Valencian federation of the socialists and where the first details of her executive were set to emerge.
On arriving at the hotel hosting the congress, Morant reiterated her aim: the party should remain the instrument that represents the people, first through its representatives in the Socialist Party and then through society itself. The vote will determine the militancy, she said, and she will present a proposal that has already been thoroughly prepared and, above all, deeply backed by the territory. She hopes for broad support within the party.
This is a new phase Morant sees as essential so the PSPV can become the instrument citizens need, especially in light of a PP that has shown it is comfortable with Vox’ support on the regional government. This links to the five bills presented this Thursday by the government’s partners on education freedom, civic harmony, regional media, transparency reforms, senior government officer incompatibilities, and the Valencian Anti-Fraud Agency.”