The centre-right Partido Popular (PP/EPP) will rule together with the far-right VOX party (ECR) in the Valencia region in a political coalition that foresees a decisive role in the local executive for the extreme right formation, the two coalition partners announced Tuesday.
The PP won the municipal and regional elections in Valencia, but since it was 13 deputies short to achieve a majority in the regional parliament, it allied with VOX despite its regional Valencia leader, Carlos Flores, being convicted of gender-based violence.
“Gender violence is serious enough not to be trivialised, serious enough not to be whitewashed and serious enough not to be part of the bargaining chips for any agreement or governmental pact,” the Spanish government spokeswoman Isabel Rodríguez said at a press conference on Tuesday, Spanish public television RTVE reported.
“If this were the case, it would be a disgrace, I understand, to accept a person convicted of gender violence in this type of agreement”, she added.
Under the deal, it was decided that Flores will not be part of the new government but will be placed in the number 1 spot on VOX’s list for the regional elections on 23 July, which somewhat addressed the controversy.
The agreement details will be disclosed by the end of the week so that the new regional executive can be formed as soon as possible.
So far, the PP has said that there will be fewer portfolios and senior positions – it has already been agreed that VOX will have the presidency of the Bureau of the regional parliament, while PP is set to have the vice-presidency and the first secretariat of the regional parliament.
The axes on which the agreement is based are freedom of choice, economic development, health and social services, the signs of identity and support for families.
Meanwhile, the two right-wing parties reached an agreement to govern side-by-side in the town of Elche, Alicante, despite the local branch of the Socialist Party (PSPV) having garnered more popular support in the recent regional and municipal election, Valencia’s daily Levante-EMV reported.
However, the PSPV’s 12 councillors are not enough for it to govern Elche, the third most populated city in the Valencia region.
Tuesday’s pacts between the PP and VOX are not an absolute novelty as both parties already govern together in the Community of Castilla y León, Europe’s largest region, albeit in a difficult “cohabitation”.
Following the crushing defeat of the Socialist Party (PSOE/S&D) in the municipal and regional elections, Spain’s Prime Minister and socialist leader Pedro Sánchez recently announced a snap election for 23 July.
(Fernando Heller | EuroEFE.EURACTIV.es)
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