L’ALACANTÍ
Before the mandatory Ferraz meeting, the Alicante region was aiming for a preliminary agreement among the three candidates to lead the PSPV: Diana Morant, Alejandro Soler, and Carlos Fernández Bielsa. The party sought new leadership to replace Ximo Puig. This stood out as one of the main takeaways from conversations with seven district secretaries across the state in recent days. There were shared views, including a belief that Alicante should have greater influence in the new administration. Before the party’s chapter call led by PSOE Organizing Secretary Santos Cerdán, positioning around a single candidate was evident only in three regions that openly backed Soler: Baix Vinalopó, Marina Baixa, and Alto y Medio Vinalopó.
L’ALACANTÍ
The district with the largest pool of eligible militants is l’Alacantí, where Baltasar Ortiz serves as regional secretary. The veteran politician acknowledged the need to renew the party after losing the Generalitat government after eight years. He hoped that, since the start of the week, PSPV had learned and improved so that past mistakes from Joan Lerma’s era would not be repeated. Ortiz favored a preliminary agreement to avoid primaries when making the choice official, a move Ferraz had already imposed on Morant by pressuring two rivals to resign. He also demanded equal representation of the three regions of the Community in the new socialist administration.
The regional secretary notes that the three initial candidates were all strong options, yet the provincial secretaries of Alicante and Valencia concede they know Soler and Bielsa better than Morant, who eventually won the process in Madrid. When asked about Madrid’s influence on the PSPV selection, Ortiz said Ferraz preferred peace and unity, adding that an agreement had been reached to prevent clashes.
VEGA BAJA
Joaquin Hernandez
A chance to revitalize the PSPV after the May 28 election results was seen by Joaquin Hernández, regional secretary of Vega Baja. Like Ortiz, the Dolores mayor argues that all three states should have a say in party decisions.
Hernández also supported a single consensus candidacy to avoid primaries. He viewed Morant as the most popular option for reaching this consensus. On the question of Gandia’s former mayor ultimately becoming the sole candidate, he stressed that the best outcome would be a strong, united PSPV and highlighted Soler as an example of how to act in this situation.
BAIX VINALOPE
Vicente Alberola
The Baix Vinalopó region has shown strong support for Soler, whose roots lie there. In Elche, the state secretary announced his candidacy on January 26, four days before Morant’s expulsion from Madrid. Alberola, the region’s secretary, backs a hopeful new phase described as exciting, noting that not everyone may share the same view. The immediate aim, he says, is to get to work.
Observers noted that Soler is viewed as someone who understands the party’s inner workings best, and Alberola argued for militants to vote freely without power struggles or trauma. There will reportedly be no separate vote after this. The Elche candidate’s slogan, militancy drive, was unveiled at an event attended by about 300 party colleagues.
MARINA BAIXA
Mayte Garcia
Marina Baixa also leaned toward Soler, leading to his ascent to the state leadership as in the primaries. After learning on Tuesday that Morant would be the sole candidate, Mayte García, regional secretary, said Morant was doing his part. She appreciated that Morant avoided conflicts among colleagues. Primaries mobilize parties but can push people to take hard stances, and some treat this as a personal issue rather than a democratic practice.
As the PSPV navigates negotiations among Morant, Soler, and Bielsa to shape the next secretary general, García confirms that the key aim is building a strong team. She notes that representation is increasingly regional rather than provincial. Soler, for his part, has kept the door open to negotiation despite submitting his candidacy.
ALTO Y MEDIO VINALOPÓ
Fulgencio Cerdán
Alto y Medio Vinalopó was the last region to clearly back Soler in the initial round. Cerdán, the regional secretary, argued that the three experienced candidates should lead to greater provincial representation in the PSPV. He suggested the federation’s statutes and rules could guide the selection of the new general secretary.
After Ferraz pressed Morant, Cerdán pointed to the search for a consensual solution, while urging that the minister and the two state secretaries must engage with their party models. He added that Soler’s profile has grown stronger in the eyes of the state and will hold a firm position within the new PSPV executive.
NAVY
José Ramiro
The two Alicante districts closest to the Ximism current in recent years, Marina Alta and l’Alcoià, are watching closely. Ramiro, the Marina Alta regional secretary, viewed the recent agreement with Morant as a pragmatic step rather than a partisan triumph, describing it as a simple candidacy and integration.
On Madrid’s push for Morant as next secretary general, Ramiro said Ferraz wants what is best for the PSPV. He called Morant an invaluable asset to Valencian socialists, and used the same descriptor for Soler and Bielsa. Puig’s succession is not being forced but is seen as a natural process within the party. Ramiro did not anticipate any internal ruptures as a result.
L’ALCOIÀ
Raphael Briet
In L’Alcoià, Rafael Briet welcomed the idea of an agreement among the three candidates. He hopes a decision will come sooner if the top three refrain from publicly detailing their candidacies. The priority, he said, is unity, dialogue, and an agreement, with the best project now to be presented to voters. He described Morant as a proven winner and a leader who has demonstrated value wherever he has served.
Before Ferraz’s Tuesday decision became public, Briet had already favored a preliminary agreement. If primaries were held and problems arose, he believed Ferraz would do what was necessary to support the federation.