Valencia passes 2027 budget with votes of two councillors expelled by Vox

Expulsion and remaining posts

Vox expelled councillors Juanma Badenas and Cecilia Herrero on Tuesday, 27 October, and the expulsion was put before the Valencia city council plenary on Friday, 30 October. Both now sit as non-attached councillors (concejales no adscritos), yet they keep their government responsibilities: Badenas holds municipal property (Patrimonio municipal) and Herrero holds patrimonial liability (Responsabilidad patrimonial). The two had already been expelled from Vox in March 2025 and were readmitted shortly afterwards, although an internal investigation continued, according to eldiario.es. Under mayor María José Catalá, the PP has governed in coalition with Vox since October 2023, and with 13 councillors the PP now has to negotiate measures with Vox's two councillors and the two non-attached members to keep its majority, ABC reports.

Budget approved provisionally

The plenary provisionally approved the 2027 budget with votes from the PP, Vox's two remaining councillors and the two non-attached councillors. Compromís and PSPV-PSOE voted against. The outlets give different totals: ABC puts the budget at 1,580,356,639.82 euros, 11.7% more than the current one and the fourth budget since Catalá became mayor, while EL PAÍS gives 1,361 million euros. Final approval is due at the November plenary, after a period for complaints.

Explanations and reactions

Badenas told reporters the dispute was an internal matter, pointing to a minute of silence for a gender-motivated killing that he stood beside a PSPV banner for, and to a talk in Valencia by former Vox figure Iván Espinosa de los Monteros. He said the expulsion file includes a photo of the banner moment. Herrero listed a retweet, a photo with a banner, attending a talk on national security and a dinner with friends as the reasons she was given.

“That will not change the election result. Valencians voted for change, and this is the change.”

Vox spokesman José Gosálvez said he did not know the reasons for the expulsion of his former group colleagues. PP spokesman Juan Carlos Caballero said he had spoken with both councillors before the plenary and that the PP had no knowledge of the reasons either, adding that Vox should be asked. He presented the budget and the coalition's stability as secure.

“The approval of the budget and the stability of this government are more than guaranteed.”

Court cases and opposition

Both councillors are under investigation in separate court cases. Badenas must testify as an investigated person on 14 January before a Valencia court, following a complaint by the Sindicat d'Estudiants over an entry into its headquarters. A Valencia court has opened a trial against Herrero for a hate crime over racist tweets written between 2020 and 2024. Compromís spokesman Papi Robles criticised the PP mayor for relying on their votes.

“How indecent must they be for Abascal to expel them from Vox!”

Robles argued that Catalá had no problem counting on the two councillors' support, since she had no objection to deals with people he described as racist, homophobic and dishonest.