Crisis in Cortes de Pallás council

LEFT- WING regional party Compromís is rumoured to be seeking a coalition deal with the right- wing PP to oust Socialist party ( PSOE) mayor, Fernando Navarro, in Cortes de Pallás.

The two Compromís councillors have even resigned from their own party, to become non- affiliated, in order to avoid their superiors in Valencia blocking the move.

Given that the PSOE and Compromís are in alliance in regional government, the latter would not have agreed to any action that may ruffle the former's feathers at local level.

They have governed with the three Socialist councillors in the Ayora- Cofrentes town since the May 2019 elections, but have now announced they want to break up the coalition, citing ' personal incompatibility'.

This is despite Sr Navarro having given them both several council departments to run – work, culture, health, Civil Protection and agriculture – whilst the two opposition PP members on the local government take care of the treasury, fiestas, youth affairs and sports.

All four, insists Sr Navarro, have been duly paid for their efforts, and the PP is involved because he wanted everyone to muck in, not just those with the most votes.

The two ex- Compromís councillors, Sonira Iranzo and David Herrera, are reportedly considering sharing the remaining three years before the elections equally with the PP, but Navarro says he ' cannot understand' how a left- wing party could want to join their polar opposite.

Sr Herrera says this is not set in stone and Compromís and the PP may not even present the no- confidence motion, but that the mayor had ' ordered them to sign a paper saying they would refrain from presenting it'.

“We won't, because we cannot guarantee we'll decide not to table the motion,” said Sr Herrera.

Sr Navarro stated: “If I resign, they won't table it; if I don't, they will.

“But out of respect for the voters who put me here, I'm not going to leave my post.”