Patience within the PSPV-PSOE ranks in Alicante is thinning. More than 48 hours have passed since Francesc Sanguino, the municipality’s spokesperson at the City Council, indicated he had stepped back from his post. He reportedly kept a record of his meetings as mayor on both sides of the political aisle in Valencia. There is currently no formal resignation on file, and the coalition governing the province’s capital, comprised of the PP and Cs, has already moved to dismiss the Alicante PSOE councilor and general secretary, Miguel Millana, along with Trini Amorós, deputy spokesperson for the municipality and the investment companies, and three advisers connected to former senator Ángel Franco’s circle. This week, Sanguino took a public stand in the early hours, submitting a new letter rather than a resignation, and moving forward with his plan. The purge of the Francoist faction continued as Lola Vílchez was removed from the Housing Board and replaced by Manuel Marín, a figure linked to the Alexandria group but aligned with the Francoists in this dispute. With that in place, the party is leaning toward presenting an ultimatum: if Sanguino does not resign shortly, the leadership will act. The crisis is expected to affect both Alicante and Valencia if not resolved by the end of the week, and officials have been working in tandem since Monday to find a path forward.
At present, movements point toward summoning a local PSPV-PSOE manager to dismiss Francesc Sanguino as city spokesperson and appoint a successor, with Miguel Millana as a likely candidate, while speculation now centers on Trini Amorós. The municipal group will be the body to approve any deal. The situation remains fluid: Sanguino had announced his resignation following a late-night meeting with the party leadership on Monday, but no formal step has yet been recorded. The PSPV-PSOE leadership in Valencia remains involved as the situation unfolds.
Sanguino and the duo deepen the PSPV-PSOE crisis in Alicante
For now, both sides maintain a strategy of silence, avoiding public statements about the conflict. Even though he is a member, Sanguino did not attend the Housing Board meeting in person or via electronic means, where the Center 14 works tender was approved. He provided a briefing electronically around 9:30 in the morning, confirmed by the Housing Board Secretary. This has fueled speculation, especially among socialist circles, with some noting that phone lines were reportedly down for another day.
The concerned article put everyone on edge. The Board of Trustees did not implement the decision on time, as the vote happened near the same moment the request was filed. The former mayor remained connected electronically, and the rest of the members were dismissed. Manuel Marín will be notified about the next general Housing Board meeting, chaired by the Popular mayor José Ramón González. In at least one instance, the dismissal letter from the Mayor’s Office to be included in unemployment records has not yet been issued for the three advisers dismissed at Sanguino’s request.
Last Friday, Francesc Sanguino explicitly called for the dismissal of the three advisers and moved to exclude Trini Amorós and Miguel Millana from councils and investment entities. The bipartisan group did not miss the chance to push the crisis forward, approving the documents submitted by the city spokesperson. He also pressed to remove Amorós from having an assistant spokesperson, a move that requires a formal process under the Organic Regulations of the General Assembly. The plot thickened with a letter to Ferraz alleging a parallel municipal group led by Ángel Franco, with the collaboration of the local general secretary Miguel Millana. That post has only added fuel to the fire. Sanguino’s commitment to step down suggested a crisis closure could be reached during the party’s discussions early in the week, yet the PSPV-PSOE tensions persisted as the situation evolved.