The Popular Party and Vox have reached a government agreement in Orihuela. The announcement was made in the Casino de Orihuela, just 24 hours before Saturday’s investiture.
Until that point, everything seemed to indicate that the PP, led by José Vegara, would go into the investiture alone, with a view to closing a deal later. However, the numerous agreements that had been achieved between the two parties throughout the week, at the regional level and in nearby towns and cities such as Elche, encouraged the two Orihuela based parties to bring their arrangement forward.
The agreement includes the creation of the Department of Family and the Coast, which will be led by Vox and while Equality is integrated into Social Welfare, it will lose the nomenclature of LGTBI.
As part of the agreement, General Mestre and his VOX councillors will take over the departments of Culture, Tourism, Family, Youth, Statistics, Citizen Participation and Orihuela Costa. It will be allocated its own budget with additional responsibilities that will also include Beaches and International Residents. The PP will allocate its councillor responsibilities in the coming days, maintaining most of those that currently exist, including Social Welfare and Equality.
In line with their shared vision, the PP and Vox will work together during the legislature to implement various policies that will benefit the residents of Orihuela.
Some of the priority areas include tax reductions, security, a comprehensive cleaning plan, the reduction of bureaucratic obstacles, the creation of the Family Department and the rehabilitation of the Historic Centre. This governance agreement represents a shared commitment by the PP and Vox to work together for the benefit of all Oriolanos.
The signing of the agreement was made following meetings between the two candidates, Manuel Mestre of Vox and Pepe Vegara of the PP, who have always said that Orihuela is the priority, guaranteeing what will be their common objective for the good of the municipality.
For the moment the signs do look encouraging, particularly when reading through the VOX Election Manifesto, which includes many of the demands that coastal residents have been making for years. The proof, of course, will be “in the pudding.”
As well as a dedicated budget and a councillor for the coast, other pre-election promises made by VOX include:
- Library, Civic Centre.
- Cleaning and Urban Cleaning plan.
- Maintenance of parks and gardens.
- Multicultural Auditorium.
- Service Social: Day Centre, Festivals, Culture, Sports…
- Second Health Centre.
- Pedestrian walkway over the Lomas de Cabo Roig Bridge.
- Fully operational Emergency Centre with Municipal staff.
- Expressway parallel to the N-332 from Los Altos to Lomas de Cabo Roig.
- Skate Park for young people.
- Bus Station.
- Rainfall plan.
- Comprehensive asphalt plan.
Meanwhile, on Saturday morning, Pepe Vegara was formally appointed as the Orihuela Mayor. Immediately after the investiture General Mestre opened the session in which he invited the 25 newly elected councillors to enter one by one, and to take their oath of office.
The PSOE led the way, followed by Vox, Cambiemos, Ciudadanos and PP, to be sworn in and take their place in the plenary.
In one bench sat the 6 socialist councillors, the 4 from Vox and the 3 from Ciudadanos, while in the other the 2 from Cambiemos and the 10 from the PP.
Unlike the rest of the members, the two Cambiemos councillors, Carlos Bernabé and Leticia Pertegal, varied their oath by stating that they will show loyalty to the head of State, avoiding naming the king.
