PSPV provincial committees approve Socialist lists for Spain's 29 November election

Alicante and Castellón approve their slates

On Wednesday, 14 October, the provincial committees of the PSPV-PSOE, the Valencian branch of the Socialist party, approved candidate lists for Congress and the Senate for the general election on 29 November. In Alicante, the committee met in l'Alfàs del Pi and approved its lists unanimously, with Toni Francés, mayor of Alcoy, heading the Congress slate and Quico Fenollar heading the Senate slate. The committee's president, Vicente Arques, who is mayor of l'Alfàs del Pi, tied the vote to the national context.

Arques described the campaign as unfolding in a polarised setting, and said the following words about the moment:

The current context in which the national elections will be held, marked by a Europe shifted to the right and with Spain as the only progressive space in the European…

The provincial secretary general, Rubén Alfaro, urged members to put socialist proposals on housing and climate change in front of voters. He also said the contest starting on 29 November would end on 23 May, when Diana Morant reaches the presidency of the Generalitat.

In Castellón, the committee met in l'Alcora and backed its slates almost unanimously, giving 100% of votes for Congress and 94% for the Senate. Maria Jiménez, the provincial organisation secretary and a provincial council deputy, heads the Congress list, with Sergio Bou second, while Eva Redondo, the current territorial senator, heads the Senate list. Samuel Falomir, the provincial secretary general, said both candidacies have the party's full backing. Jiménez explained her move to Madrid by pointing to the limits of local government:

Municipal experience has made me see that many things can be done from the towns, but a good part of the solutions depend on decisions taken in Madrid.

Valencia's compromise between factions

The Valencia committee was the most disputed of the three. Diana Morant, the regional PSPV leader and minister of science, controls the Congress list, which carries the stamp of the PSOE headquarters in Madrid, Ferraz. The list is headed by Pilar Bernabé, the government delegate in Valencia, followed by Finance Minister Arcadi España, PSOE organisation secretary Rebeca Torró and José Muñoz, the PSPV spokesman in the Corts Valencianes. Carmen Martínez, a sitting deputy who chairs the Congress commission investigating the DANA, is placed fifth.

Morant ruled out provincial secretaries for the Congress lists, which kept Carlos Fernández Bielsa, the Valencia provincial leader and mayor of Mislata, off the ballot for Congress. In return, Bielsa's camp took the Senate list, which Juan Antonio Sagredo, mayor of Paterna, heads, followed by Cristina Moreno, already a senator, and Rafa García, mayor of Burjassot. Discontent over the fourth and fifth Congress places was reported in the province, but no open revolt followed. The party won five seats in the Valencia constituency in 2023, so the fifth place depends on the party repeating that result.

What happens next

The Valencia lists must pass the PSPV executive, which is led by Morant, before they are sent on. Torró still has to give the lists her green light, and the Valencia lists are due in Madrid on Friday, 16 October, for final validation. Provincial committees in the Valencian Community's three provinces are scheduled to present their lists during the week. The PSOE Federal Committee is expected to approve the candidacies on Saturday, 17 October.