The PP and Vox prevent Lafuente from giving explanations for the dismissal of the director general

PalmaThe PP and Vox have blocked the appearance of the Minister of the Sea, Juan Manuel Lafuente, to give explanations for the dismissal of the Director General of Coasts and Littoral, Maria Joaquina Ferrer. The two parties have announced that they will oppose the opposition's request for the minister to be held accountable in Parliament for this departure, which 21 officials questioned in an open letter.

"We will vote against the minister's appearance," said the spokesperson for the PP in Parliament, Sebastià Sagreras. "An appearance is not requested for a replacement in a general directorates," he argued: "It is a position of free configuration and elected by the ministers." Thus, he argued that Lafuente considered it "appropriate" that, in the case of Costes, the director general have a "municipalist" profile. The spokesperson for Vox in Parliament, Manuela Cañadas, justified her vote against the appearance because it is a "smokescreen" by the PSIB and the left "to cause trouble."

The minister removed Ferrer for considering that he had applied overly restrictive criteria – although supported by officials – in the awarding of sunbeds in Formentera. His replacement, the former mayor of Llucmajor Joan Jaume Mulet, endorsed in eleven minutes the 80-page report that changed the criteria. Government sources explain that the director general of Costes "must have very regular communication with the mayors and the Consell de Formentera," and, therefore, a municipalist profile has been chosen. "We need political acumen and tact to educate, to know what is important for the municipality, the Council, beyond the technical criterion," these sources assure, admitting that there have also been difficulties in finding a replacement less than a year before the elections.

It is the second time in a few weeks that the PP has rescued a former mayor for a critical position. The mayor of Manacor Pedro Rosselló has also replaced Clara del Moral as island director of Tourism at the Consell de Mallorca: a turbulent department that has already undergone a change of minister. Rosselló was deputy mayor and delegate for the Environment (2007-2011) and later was secretary general of the Balearic Institute of Nature (Ibanat). Between 2015 and 2017 he served as mayor of Manacor and, subsequently, between 2018 and 2019, he returned to hold the position of deputy mayor and delegate for the Environment in the City Council. In parallel, he has been an elected island councilor for the PP during the 2019-2023 legislature. With his swearing-in, he takes on the challenge of continuing the fight against illegal tourist offerings on the Consell de Mallorca.

The left demands answers

The deputy spokesperson for the PSIB, Marc Pons, regretted that Ferrer was dismissed for "not responding" to Lafuente's orders regarding the concession of sun loungers on the beaches of Formentera. Meanwhile, the spokesperson for Més per Menorca, Josep Castells, pointed out that the situation reflects that Lafuente "has no control" over his ministry, since while he "dictates" the resolutions, the department "goes in another direction".

This legislature has seen a high rotation among these positions of trust. In three years, 142 changes of position have been made: 68.27% of senior officials have changed ownership or responsibilities. Since the beginning of the legislature, Prohens' Executive had difficulties finding trusted profiles. Less than a year before the new elections, this search becomes even more complicated.