La Vega Baja has emerged as a focal point for Consell’s recent initiatives. This theme topped PSPV-PSOE’s messaging during the re-election push led by Ximo Puig, the Valencian president, as he spoke at Casino de Orihuela last night. The event marked the kickoff of a hectic week for the socialist leader in the Alicante region, culminating in a meeting with Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez at the Auditorium on Friday. The current schedule lists UA at 18:30. The civic platform backing the regional administration helped shape a push aimed at securing a third term.
Puig cast Vega Baja as a strategic region that will be pivotal in navigating the tight electoral race on the 28th. The plan centers on targeted investments, including the 750 million euros allocated to Vega Baja by the Generalitat and the Community of Valencia over the last four years. The emphasis is on prioritizing interventions that address the South region’s needs. Puig has demonstrated a sustained commitment through more than fifty visits to Vega Baja since the DANA event, supporting initiatives such as the Vega Renhace Plan and the acquisition of the Marqués de Rafal Palace, which now serves as the Generalitat Presidency headquarters in Orihuela. The appearance also underscored Puig’s strong ties to civil society in Vega Baja.
Javier Sánchez Portas, a historian and the coordinator of the civic platform backing Puig in the region, introduced the event. The program featured an agricultural engineer and professor from the Escuela Politécnica Superior de Orihuela, followed by David Bernardo López, an independent fourth on the PSPV regional list and a former CC OO general secretary, Antonio Gutiérrez.
Contention
The program continued with a discussion moderated by Maribel Peñalver, a University of Alicante professor, and included Vega Renhace Plan director Antonio Alonso, agronomist José Manuel Carrillo, and Cristóbal Ruiz, director of TM Grupo Inmobiliario Urbanism. The dialogue highlighted the region’s most immediate concerns and requests, including water management and agriculture, road connectivity, residential tourism, and the notable presence of foreign nationals in Vega Baja’s census. The conversation aimed to illuminate current pressures and the actions desired by local communities.
The event closed with Puig reaffirming the Generalitat’s commitment to Vega Baja. He highlighted the unprecedented level of investment and the overall project forecast, noting that 750 million euros had been committed over the prior four years. Puig explained that this historic pledge supports the development of all 27 municipalities within Vega Baja and reinforces a broader strategy for growth across the southern municipalities.
Puig pointed to the investment as particularly transformative for educational infrastructure, recognizing Vega Baja as a region within which educational facilities will gain the most benefit in the entire community. Increases in healthcare infrastructure and agricultural support were also emphasized, reinforcing the Consell and Puig’s pledge to Vega Baja as presented by the PSPV-PSOE at the end of the day. The discussion underlined the determination to lift multiple sectors in Vega Baja through a coordinated, long-term approach that ties infrastructure to everyday life and economic vitality.