The week’s political moment centered on Vice President Vicente Barrera, Vox’s top representative in the Valencian Government, stepping away from the banner of Orgull de Comunitat during the Consell campaign tied to Benidorm Fest. His support for LGBT groups became part of a carefully calibrated message designed to project unity within the alliance while signaling limits. Barrera spoke with Carlos Mazón, the president and PP leader, hours before appearing publicly for a second time. The move carried a calculated risk and aimed to manage potential tensions without launching an impeachment narrative against Barrera for alleged homophobia. The overall effect was to deny friction publicly while protecting the coalition’s stability.
One of Mazón’s recurring claims is that the current Government mirrors Botànic more than the previous setup. This week, it became clearer that Vox and Mazón may hold two divergent voices within the same administration. Time will show whether those voices converge or pull the government in opposite directions. For now, Vox appears to be delivering a measured blow, testing the response and buying time. The visible clash was kept private enough to avoid undoing the partnership, with the public debate focused on a domestic stage rather than a broader political rupture. After Tuesday’s episode, the partners met again at the Corts to discuss the matter. José María Llanos, newly appointed as the ultra party’s spokesman, maintained a low profile on behalf of Mazón. A few hours later, the chamber voted on Vicent Andrés Estellés’s centenary and agreed to oppose Any Estellés after a PP arrangement paused broader disagreements. The takeaway is that while the PP supports the commemoration, the dispute is not sufficient to formally break with the partner.
The week concluded with Barrera discovering that the Valencia music festival backed by his office has overshadowed the Presidency’s Benidorm Fest, and perhaps rendered the latter less prominent. He accepted the responsibility without protest.
The sequence of events underscores a mutual respect among partners in their respective fields: social policy led by the PP, with emphasis on vice-president Susana Camarero; cultural policy directed by Vox; and strategic projects like the Benidorm festival handled under the Presidency, with boundaries that prevent policy clashes.
The overarching strategies became apparent: Mazón seeks to foreground participation and the left’s diversity banner, which includes the Benidorm Festival, while overlooking the potential political risk of letting a cultural emblem fade from Valencian identity. His stance likely aims to safeguard traditional right-leaning voters in the region.
The same strategic pattern plays out in Valencia City Hall, where the partnership persists amid gestures of cultural and identity significance that allow the far right to leverage its position. The tone differs on social policy, where the mayor, María José Catalá, started to show discomfort with the creation of ponds along the Turia river under deputy mayor Juan Manuel Badenas (Vox). The plan includes building bridges to address homelessness, and it raises questions about the balance between Barrera and Badenas and the medium-term leadership of the radical wing within the coalition.