In the Generalitat Valenciana, and in several councils across the Alicante province, there is a notable divergence between the Partido Popular and Vox within the provincial Diputación. The Populars govern with an absolute majority, while the ultras have entered the institution for the first time, represented by a single deputy, Gema Alemán. This dynamic may have given the PP room to distance itself ideologically from Vox in the Provincial Palace. This tendency was evident in Wednesday’s plenary session, marked by clashes over issues such as the commemoration of International Women’s Day and the core concerns behind the farmers’ street protests.
It was anticipated there would be disagreements at the plenary on the 8M, especially once Vox broke the unity to push an institutional declaration. The Vox motion foregrounded its own narrative, de-emphasizing gender equality and peppering its text with criticisms of the government of Pedro Sánchez, chapters targeting the so‑called gender ideology policies, and insinuations about immigrants’ involvement in crimes of a sexual nature in Spain. In contrast, the three other parties with representation in the Diputación—the PP, the PSPV-PSOE, and Compromís—supported a joint motion that highlighted narrowing the gender gap.
Temperatures rose when Vox presented its 8M motion, and a clear split between the PP and Vox appeared when the president, the PP member Toni Pérez, had to interrupt the Vox deputy Alemán during her remarks. “If you want to defend and empower women, you must jail rapists and murderers, but that is not your priority,” asserted the Vox representative while pointing toward the PP and PSPV deputies. “Do not point at anyone. Fortunately society and the two parties that are here…” the Compromís spokesperson, Ximo Perles, was not present due to his recent paternity, concluded, “We are going in a different direction than yours.”
The PP’s spokesperson in this debate, Loreto Serrano, chose to respond with data. She noted that in the last two decades gender-based violence has claimed 1,245 lives of women, that 70% of those detained for sexual offenses are Spanish, that women hold just over 30% of seats on the boards of listed companies, and that only 24% of mayors and 15% of presidents of provincial councils are women in Spain. The PSPV, for its part, declined to engage Vox directly and voted against the motion. In the joint motion, socialist Raquel Marín expressed that the 8M is “a day of reivindication and struggle” and framed the fight against gender-based violence as the present-day “most important challenge.”
The protests that farmers have sustained in recent weeks also echoed inside the Provincial Palace. The session revealed the same fissures between the PP and Vox on this issue as on the 8M. In fact, both sides advanced separate motions addressing the same topic. Vox’s text was saturated with climate-change denial arguments and criticisms of the 2030 Agenda, while the PP’s proposal rested on a series of demands directed at the Sánchez government, such as urging the European Union to ensure free movement of goods, endorsing voluntariness in applying animal welfare law, and increasing the level of agricultural insurance subsidies in line with what the Generalitat provides.
The debate unfolded as a three-way contest, since the governing bloc comprised by the Populars and the Socialists did not maintain the unity they showed on the 8M. From the PSPV’s benches, the government’s agricultural work under the Sánchez administration was praised. “The government supports farmers and drives measures to improve working conditions and sustainability,” stated deputy Manuel Iván Ros.
In sum, the plenary session underscored a notable ideological divergence between PP and Vox on gender policy, immigration, and environmental policy, while revealing tensions on agricultural policy and the government’s broader strategy in national matters. The political landscape in Alicante’s provincial institutions remains deeply fragmented, with the PP seeking to anchor stability through a broad coalition and Vox asserting its position as a persistent challenger to the government’s agenda. The outcome of these intra-party dynamics will shape how provincial leadership negotiates policy priorities in the months ahead, including how it addresses gender equality, climate policy, and the concerns of Andalusian and Valencian farmers who ask for clearer guarantees and responsive governance. The discussions illustrate the broader tension in regional politics between ideological positions and pragmatic governance, a tension that will likely persist as elections approach and as economic and social issues continue to press on provincial and national agendas. [Source attribution pending updates]
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