Cambiemos Orihuela has renewed pressure on the municipal council to strip Francisco Franco of the honours he still officially holds in the municipality, arguing that their continued existence breaches Spain’s Democratic Memory legislation and is incompatible with the city’s democratic values.
The issue has returned to the political spotlight despite the fact that Orihuela’s plenary session already approved the withdrawal of Franco’s honours in 2016. At that time, under the Popular Party administration of Emilio Bascuñana, the motion presented by Cambiemos was passed unanimously. However, almost a decade later, the distinctions remain in place.
Franco continues to hold some of the highest honours awarded by the city, including the title of Adopted Son of Orihuela, the Medal of the City and the distinction of Covered Knight. These honours were granted between 1940 and 1948, during the early years of the dictatorship, as a sign of the city’s loyalty to the regime.
Cambiemos argues that the failure to implement the 2016 agreement represents a clear contradiction, particularly in a city that also pays tribute to figures such as the poet Miguel Hernández, who died as a victim of Franco’s repression. For the group, maintaining the dictator’s distinctions is not only legally questionable but morally and politically unacceptable.
The matter was debated again during the latest plenary meeting, where a new motion calling for the effective removal of Franco’s honours was approved. This time, however, the vote was not unanimous. Vox voted against the proposal, while the Popular Party abstained, reflecting a more divided political climate than in 2016.
Councillor Quique Montero, speaking for Cambiemos, insisted that the process could be resolved simply by the mayor, Pepe Vegara, signing the necessary decree. According to the group, the city council has already taken the political decision and now only needs to formalise it.
The PP rejected that interpretation, with spokesperson Víctor Valverde arguing that responsibility did not rest solely with the current administration. He also pointed out that former Socialist mayor Carolina Gracia, who held office during part of the previous term, could also have acted on the 2016 decision.
Other council sources suggest the matter is more complex, noting that Orihuela has detailed regulations governing both the awarding and withdrawal of honours. For critics, however, that explanation only reinforces a wider frustration: that symbolic motions in plenary sessions often generate heated ideological debate but little concrete action.
