Fina Santiago says 'no' to Apesteguia: MÉS per Mallorca's candidate race

PalmMÁS per Mallorca has this week kicked off various primary processes. In a month, the list leaders of the main candidacies will be proclaimed, but there are already some names appearing in the quinielas. Lluís Apesteguia will repeat as list leader for the Parlament. The mayor of Manacor, Miquel Oliver, is emerging as the option for the Consell de Mallorca, and among the options to replace him in the City Council, councilor Ferran Montero has gained strength. Palma is the big unknown: the leadership offered former minister Fina Santiago to be number one, but she has not accepted the proposal. As a B option, the name of professor David Pujol is being considered. But this has a handicap: there would be no woman among the prominent list leaders.

Palma is a key square for MÉS. Executive sources believe they have a golden opportunity in this city. The situation of the Socialist Party, with Iago Negueruela at the helm, gives oxygen to the eco-sovereignists. Although the current spokesperson for the PSIB in the Parliament and also former advisor to the Govern is known, various MÉS leaders consider him to be further away from the Catalanist voter than other socialist options – such as the likely head of the list for the Consell, Amanda Fernández. "With a good candidate, we can grow," predicts a source from the party.

However, the party's situation in the municipality is complex. The resignation of the current spokesperson for MÉS in Palma, Neus Truyol, and her team, has forced them to seek alternatives. The party leader, Lluís Apesteguia, thought of positioning Santiago as number one on the list. But the former advisor, for now, does not want to accept the assignment, as confirmed by various party sources. As an alternative, professor David Pujol, linked to CUP Palma, has an "independent, Catalanist profile close to the alternative left" – he was linked to CUP Palma –, assures a source who knows him well. This covers the needs for voters and can also help in the party's negotiations with other groups – EUiA, Sumar, the CUP, and Podemos – with a view to a possible coalition. He would team up with the party's coordinator in Palma, Xisca Mir.

Lack of female profiles

But if Pujol's signing is confirmed, MÉS will face the evidence of not having any woman as a candidate at the head of the list in the main institutions. According to various sources consulted, the party has failed in several signing attempts. As confirmed by ARA Balears, the formation has already sounded out different people from inside and outside the organization, although these contacts have been informal and the results are not yet known.

Other top figures of the formation have also ruled out, for now, holding institutional positions. The current spokesperson for MÉS in the Consell, Catalina Inès Perelló, has expressed through internal channels her desire to return to her work in the Administration. The president of Esquerra Republicana in the Balearic Islands and member of the MÉS executive, Carme Gomila, recently resigned from the Manacor council. While the current party leader in Sóller, Laura Celià, has announced that she will not repeat. As she explains to ARA Balears, she has not yet decided if she would be willing to run on another list.

On the other hand, sources from the formation warn that the resolution of the unknown in Palma could end up affecting other lists. Although in the Parliament it is taken for granted that the candidacy will have Apesteguia as candidate and Maria Ramon as number two, Oliver's position in the Consell is not confirmed. “Perhaps she will have to make way for a woman”, these sources consider. When she left the mayoralty of Manacor, Oliver was willing to join the Consell or Parliament lists. However, the resignation of the previous head of the list, Jaume Alzamora, opened the door to the insular institution. This continues to be the most probable option, but last-minute changes are not ruled out.

For its part, the Manacor group has formed an executive with twelve representatives to find a successor to Oliver. The City Council is an emblematic setting for MÉS, which managed to grow in votes in this municipality in 2023, in a context of general decline of the left in the Islands. As ARA Balears reported, the preferred option is a candidacy formed by the current councilors Ferran Montero and Joana Maria Llull, in that order. However, it is not the only possibility: the name of councilor Sebastià Llodrà, Oliver's right-hand man in the Consistory, is also being considered.

The race has just begun and there are still more unknowns than certainties. Furthermore, at the party's assembly that took place this week, momentous issues were decided. On the one hand, the heads of list must present themselves to the primaries with a proposal for number two on the list. On the other hand, local groups will also be able to propose candidates for the Consell and the Parlament. Be that as it may, this is the snapshot of the starting positions.