Orihuela is preparing for next Sunday’s vote, which is shaping up to be one of the most contentious elections in recent memory. The five City Council parties — Partido Popular, Partido Socialista, Ciudadanos, Cambiemos and Vox — ran campaigns that were aggressive and aimed at defining who could claim broad support for the town’s future.
What seems clear is that no party will secure an absolute majority. The likely outcome is a coalition built through successive negotiations with the groups that manage to strike a deal. In this scenario, the parties have prioritized attracting voters from rivals rather than win outright by their own strength.
For instance, Ciudadanos, led by Jose Aix, appealed to “PP voters who feel abandoned by a candidate,” while also arguing that the party has faced allegations of misusing public funds. The message emphasized a solid, solvable project backed by experienced management and a clear vision for what Orihuela should become in the coming years.
Meanwhile, the orange formation has been portrayed by opponents as having delivered a “catastrophic or non-existent government” during the period when the party previously governed alongside socialist Carolina Gracia before a no-confidence motion led by former mayor Emilio Bascuñana last April.
In this vein, Vegara’s PP has sent a message to voters who once supported other political forms whose track records allegedly reflect interests that benefit private businessmen more than the municipality. In plain terms: what is put forward under Aix’s banner with the Cs abbreviation is seen as a shadow of the former CLR; two candidates under investigation for municipal contracts are now listed on the slate, namely Ángel Noguera and Luisa Boné, both with a track record of electoral success.
Overall, the Populars have argued against what they call political parasites who would turn the City Council into a private farm or business. The campaign also included Antonio Cerdán, head of the Costa party Claro, who voted in a way that could help a party allied with Orihuela Costa Independence, which entered the race for the first time.
Vegara has consistently claimed an aim to reconquer the capital of Vega Baja for the Populars. If the results do not favor his side, Aix warned that Vegara would not be able to assume any public responsibility, referencing a prosecutor’s request for a seven-year prison sentence. Vegara also alleged that Ciudadanos and the PSOE were running a joint campaign, a tacit non-aggression strategy between them.
Manuel Mestre, the Vox candidate and a retired Air Force general, kept his stance guarded. He suggested that pacts would be determined by the support received from voters and simultaneously attacked corruption charges against PP, Ciudadanos and PSOE figures in the region. Mestre positioned Vox as the candidate of honesty and anti-corruption while presenting a vision of governance free from a traditional political elite. His program focuses on water management, language policy, family support, tax reductions, and a broad reform of public spending.
Relations between the PSOE and Cambiemos appeared more strained, reflecting a sense of disillusionment with Gracia’s administration in its final year. The controversy included a contentious project to build 2,200 homes in Cala Mosca, the last stretch of undeveloped coastline, which had drawn heavy scrutiny and criticism.
Yet both sides indicated a willingness to cooperate, at least in part. Carlos Bernabé of Cambiemos outlined a goal to expand his party’s influence, currently three councilors, in order to tilt the balance toward a transformative, progressive agenda for Orihuana. His view is that if Cambiemos performs well, the Socialists might have to move closer to Cambiemos and distance themselves from Ciudadanos to support a newer direction.
Gracia has drawn a clear red line in negotiations with Vox, while maintaining a tentative, pragmatic alignment with Ciudadanos and Cambiemos in a bid to reform the public procurement system and address urgent local needs. The electorate is urged to support a governance that wakes up the city and simplifies processes that have caused confusion in public contracting.