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A new conflict has emerged within the governing coalition of Orihuela as Vox criticizes its partner, the Partido Popular (PP), over funding cuts to the Church.
The controversy stems from a joint motion passed in the last plenary session, in which opposition groups strongly condemned statements by Bishop José Ignacio Munilla that were deemed offensive to women and the LGTBI community.
The motion urged the bishop to publicly retract his comments supporting so-called “conversion therapies.”
The motion passed thanks to the PP abstaining, with Vox being the only party to vote against it.
A week later, Vox has responded by attacking the PP for allowing the withdrawal of municipal funding to the Church, a move they claim jeopardizes Orihuela’s Holy Week celebrations, which hold International Tourist Interest status.
Vox argues that the opposition’s true intention was to cut off financial support under the guise of condemning the bishop’s remarks.
Vox has expressed firm opposition to the withdrawal of subsidies, positioning itself as the only party defending the importance of maintaining them. The party claims that the PP has placed vital institutions and traditions at risk, including Caritas, San José Obrero, and the restoration of churches in La Murada and La Aparecida.
Despite Vox’s warnings during the plenary debate, the motion passed with a clause stating that the City Council should not participate financially in activities that violate Article 82 of Law 4/2023, which prohibits public funding for individuals or organizations that promote LGTBIphobia, including conversion therapies.
Equality Councillor Agustina Rodríguez, who represented the PP during the debate, reaffirmed the party’s commitment to diversity and LGTBI rights. She condemned the bishop’s statements, acknowledging that they had caused distress even among believers. However, she justified the party’s abstention by arguing that the motion’s language threatened municipal subsidies to charitable and cultural institutions, including those that support Orihuela’s Holy Week.
Rodríguez noted that the president of the Junta Mayor had recently called for increased municipal funding, despite a recent boost of 10,000 euros, bringing total aid to 130,000 euros over the past year and a half.
Vox has now issued a statement warning Orihuela residents of what it calls the “serious consequences” of the decision. The party accuses the PP of undermining the Church’s role in the municipality and claims the opposition is using the bishop’s statements as an excuse to sever ties with religious institutions. Vox contends that the decision reflects an ongoing effort to erase the Church’s influence in Orihuela.
This clash adds to other recent disputes between the two coalition partners. In the same plenary session, the PP distanced itself from Vox’s proposal to expel undocumented immigrants and refrained from supporting an opposition-led motion to restore republican-themed vinyls honouring poet Miguel Hernández, which Vox had previously removed. The PP’s abstention led to the approval of the measure despite Vox’s objections.
Following this latest controversy, Orihuela’s mayor, Pepe Vegara, attempted to distance himself from the decision, much like he did after the contentious removal of funding for the Miguel Hernández Cultural Foundation in late 2023—a move later reversed by the government.
Vegara also took decisive action by appointing a new manager for Orihuela Cultural, replacing the Vox-backed appointee who resigned after weeks of controversy and allegations of intimidation against an independent councillor.
Despite these growing tensions, Vegara stated in June that the governing pact with Vox would last until the next municipal elections in 2027. However, he noted that loyalty to the agreement would hold “until something arises that forces us to break it.”
With ongoing disputes and increasing friction between the coalition partners, it remains to be seen whether that moment is approaching sooner than anticipated.
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