From Friday through Sunday, the PSOE will hold its 41st Federal Congress in Seville, with more than a hundred socialists from the province attending as delegates and observers. Beyond the shadows created by recent controversies surrounding some figures, the gathering is framed by the DANA storm that devastated Valencia on October 29, exactly a month before the congress. That disaster will spark one of the central debates of the meeting: how to respond to the climate emergency and how to mitigate its effects, a point underscored by the Valencian catastrophe. [Cited from Valencia disaster authorities]
Representing the province in Seville are party members who hold important organizational and institutional roles. They highlight additional debates, such as autonomous financing and the federal model, at a congress expected to rally behind Pedro Sánchez and appoint a new federal leadership. One goal for the province is to maintain the current level of presence, embodied by Patricia Blanquer, or perhaps broaden her prominence. [Cited from PSPV statements]
The Valencia Tragedy
“This is a congress arriving under the weight of the Valencia disaster”, says Alejandro Soler, the provincial secretary general and president of the PSPV. “That reality makes it even more crucial to confront climate policies against denialist voices from the far right. These events are becoming more frequent”, he adds. For Soler, Valencia’s special financing needs will be another major topic, along with efforts to combat gender-based violence and to boost economic prosperity and employment. [Cited from Valencia disaster authorities]
Following the order of the 40 Alicante delegates, Joaquín Hernández, the Vega Baja regional secretary and mayor of Dolores, hopes the weekend will deliver a strengthened message of progress and a PSOE focus on the Valencian Community after the DANA. Hernández says these are the directions set by the PSPV. For the Valencian federation, the congress is meaningful as it arrives with renewed leadership, the one Diana Morant began in March. [Cited from Valencia political briefings]
From Elda, its mayor, Rubén Alfaro, notes that the congress will serve to reflect on Spain’s challenges, highlighting the country’s pluralism and diversity. The mayor, also a spokesperson for Morant’s administration, defends governance that stays close to the territory and the commitment to public services and citizens’ needs. Regarding autonomous financing, Alfaro argues that the PSOE aims to cut the financing gap between regions by 30 percent, while denouncing Madrid’s tax dumping, a perverse tactic that complicates national coexistence. [Cited from regional political summaries]
Portavoz in the Diputación and mayor of l’Alfàs del Pi, Vicente Arques, believes the province’s socialists arrive cohesive and highlights Soler’s work as a congressman. He notes that Soler has defended the DANA response as notably better than the Generalitat’s. On the list of 40 delegates, he says it is a broad consensus representing all sensibilities. Regarding federalism, he adds that the current autonomous model already represents it. [Cited from regional analyses]
The Leadership of Diana Morant
Another socialist mayor is Alcoy’s Toni Francés, who believes the PSPV is presenting itself with Morant’s leadership consolidated and now seeking to reinforce it amid the governing vacuum in the regional administration. The Alcoy mayor emphasizes climate action as a priority in opposition to denialist voices from the far right and defends the federal model: recognizing the uniqueness of each territory is a way to strengthen Spain. [Cited from Valencia political notes]
Finally, Alicante’s municipal spokesperson Ana Barceló approaches the congress with hope: the event should serve to rebuild the social democracy politically. She notes that Sánchez’s leadership is not questioned in the Valencian Community and highlights her connection with Morant. Both leaders have pressed Feijóo to remove Mazón, and Barceló stresses the need to act against speculative policy that endangers sustainability, especially in the face of climate challenges. [Cited from regional commentary]