The political ground is still shaking in this quiet expat-heavy town as the PSOE and a rebel councillor have signed a bombshell motion of no confidence, aiming to strip the mayoralty from PP’s José María Ballester Sansano.
In a dramatic twist worthy of any political thriller, Alain Vanderbergen, once a loyal councillor of the Independent Party for Nationalities (PIPN), jumped ship and threw his support behind Socialist leader and former mayor José Sampere, setting the stage for a stunning power grab.
The motion, signed before a notary in a cloak-and-dagger-style move early Wednesday, comes two years after Sampere lost the mayor’s baton and now he’s poised to snatch it back. The extraordinary plenary session is locked in for June 18, when the vote will decide the future of the San Fulgencio Council.
Sources from inside the Town Hall say the writing was on the wall from the early hours: the entire opposition and one government councillor were spotted together, clearly plotting. The game was on.
PIPN’s official spokesperson, Charo Mejías, offered no comment on her colleague’s decision, but insiders suggest Vanderbergen, who managed key portfolios including Finance, Urban Sanitation, and Parks, had grown frustrated with the mayor’s stonewalling.
Meanwhile, the PSOE has been loud and clear in its condemnation of what it calls “undemocratic antics” by Ballester in recent sessions, even having councillors expelled from plenary meetings.
In a fiery statement, Sampere declared:
“San Fulgencio needs a stable, transparent government that works for the people. This motion is about respect for democracy—and getting things done. With this motion, we return to the path of serious and honest work that has always characterised the PSOE in our town.”
PSOE Councillor Darren Parmenter told the Leader that he is currently unaware of the exact details leading to Wednesday’s move but, “There must’ve been something quite serious going on in the governing coalition for Alain Vandenbergen from the PIPN to ask to join us as a ‘non-adscrito’ councillor. We did not recruit or approach him.
Nevertheless, I and the rest of the PSOE group are delighted to have this hard-working person as part of the ‘new’ team.”
With the numbers on their side—six PSOE councillors plus Vanderbergen’s crucial seventh vote—the power play looks unstoppable and now that it has been registered, the motion of censure must be debated and voted on in an extraordinary plenary session, which the municipal secretary is required to convene within a maximum of 10 business days
Following the debate and the vote it is then expected that the government will be made up of the six PSOE councillors along with Alain Vandenbergen from the PIPN, while five PP councillors and one PIPN councillors will go into opposition
