Anthony Zapata announced this Thursday that the team he led for the PSOE to pursue the mayoral candidacy has decided to withdraw from that goal. He held firm on the course until the very end and reiterated support yesterday. As a result, the current mayor, Carolina Grace, will remain a candidate without undergoing a primary process, aligning with the party’s current guidelines for incumbents while still noting that party statutes allow for an alternative path to be proposed.
Ferraz retains candidacy for mayors of Elche, Orihuela, Alcoy and Elda without primary elections
Zapata’s team issued a statement saying that they were recently invited to an act of generosity and trust with the current mayor of Orihuela, Caroline Grace. After attempting negotiations aimed at integration and unification from all factions within the group, the proposal was not accepted by the current organic leadership. Orihuela has decided not to submit signatures to open the primary process. Still, the group acknowledges the significant internal divisions within the party as a continuing reality in Orihuela.
The same source states that Zapata understands this is best for the party and fully endorses the regional and provincial leadership principles guiding the decision.
Zapata challenges Puig and Ferraz and earns support to be mayor of Orihuela
Met with a firm stance, Zapata asserts that the PSOE will continue to back its progressive values both in the upcoming general elections and in coordination with party leadership at all levels. The president of the Generalitat and the party’s secretary-general are seen as endorsing the ongoing Orihuela project for the next local elections, reinforcing a message of continued commitment from the party’s top ranks.