Left-wing Gaul in the Mallorca of the PP and Vox

PalmThe Islands turned blue in 2023. The PP grew to almost one hundred councilors, becoming the most voted force in half of the towns of Mallorca And it gained control of the main institutions—the Government, the Island Council, and Palma—thanks to Vox. But not all of them: progressive parties held out in about fifteen municipalities on the island. The largest, Inca, Manacor, and Pollença, have become bastions of the opposition and a potential source of weakness for the Government. President Marga Prohens has opted for a strategy of open dialogue with these town councils, but she has also used this approach to weaken the left in the Parliament.

The mayors of the three municipalities emphasize that, despite ideological differences, meetings with members of the Balearic Government and the Island Council are frequent. However, disagreements exist on issues such as housing. Many of the left-leaning municipalities have requested permission to conduct studies in their respective towns to declare them "areas of tight residential market" and apply the rent cap permitted by Spanish law. But the Balearic Government has refused. "Rent must be limited," insists the mayor of Inca, Virgilio Moreno (PSIB). "The PP sees it as market intervention, something Soviet-style social-communist, but it's not like that," he insists. "There are families with two incomes who can't make ends meet to pay rent; we have to do something." In contrast, the mayors have accepted the housing regulations approved by the PP and Vox parties, albeit in a limited way. "Our philosophy is to apply everything that is approved from Madrid, the Government and the Consell, but adapted to our urban planning regulations," says Moreno.

Similarly, the mayor of Manacor, Miquel Oliver (MÁS), asserts that they have taken advantage of the regulations to increase housing construction in the town center. However, he rejects the construction promoted by the PP and Vox parties in transitional areas. "The amount of land we've already consumed, in such a disorderly and irresponsible manner, is enough; we need to use even more," he argues. "The lack of housing cannot be an excuse to free up land for unchecked growth." He is also critical of the creation of Limited Price Housing (HPL) as a complement to subsidized housing, because it is much more expensive. Despite admitting that the relationship with the regional ministers and the president is "constant," both mayors complain that many resources are still being centralized in Palma, rather than in Inca and Manacor. "The Government and the Island Council have punished the people of Manacor with a lack of investment," Oliver laments. "We provide regional coverage beyond the Raiguer and services to the towns of the Pla and the Tramuntana; we need more funding," Moreno insists.

Pollença, a political football for the PP

The mayor of Pollença and former Minister of Education, Martí March (PSIB), has chosen to maintain an "institutional" profile and seek consensus with the Balearic Government and the Island Council, despite the fact that the People's Party (PP) has often used him as a weapon against the PSIB. The PP dubbed the amendment to the law that grants amnesty to illegally built homes on rural land used for tourist rentals—many of which are located in Pollença—the "March amendment," and they also defended the inclusion of Spanish as a language of instruction in the Education Law. March himself, as March himself, explained to ARABalears, "I have been prudent and focused on my work as mayor." He continued, "Although I am not ideologically comfortable with the Government, a town hall cannot be a bastion of opposition." In this regard, he has privately complained about the exploitation of his image: "I told Mr. Sebastià Sagreras [spokesperson for the PP parliamentary group] that I didn't submit any amendments, and that he shouldn't use me to attack the PSIB," he explains. "He's advocating for the regularization of these properties, on top of everything else." Focusing on the municipality, he calls for progress from the Consell (Island Council) on the construction of several roundabouts and points out that the health center scheduled to open this year "dates back to the 2015-2019 legislative term."

Government sources acknowledge the political use of the former regional minister and other left-wing mayors, citing, for example, their implementation of the Emergency Housing Law, which the left voted against. "The opposition is entrenched in a 'no' stance on everything, and then the socialist-led town councils themselves implement what their party criticized in Parliament," they explain. Although they consider the relationship with the mayors to be "cordial," these sources admit to friction with the councils governed by MÉS per Mallorca regarding the allocation of spaces to house unaccompanied migrant children. While the People's Party (PP) criticizes the eco-sovereignists for not making spaces available to the Island Council, the mayor of Esporles, Josep Ferrà (Pas-MÉS), criticizes the lack of explanation regarding "what type of spaces, for how many people, for how long, and what resources" they would need.

Ferrà, along with March, has been among the mayors most critical of the Serra de Tramuntana law being drafted by the PP and Vox parties. From Esporles, the eco-sovereignist has strived to counterbalance the PP and Vox's ideological agenda at the regional level. "We withdrew our invitation to the Catalan Parliament's president, Gabriel Le Senne, to the local festivities after his act of aggression and disloyalty towards Aurora Picornell," he asserts. "Following the repeal of the Democratic Memory Law, we approved the first municipal ordinance on historical memory in the country." In contrast, he explains, the municipalities of the Serra de Tramuntana have collaborated, regardless of their political affiliation, to demand infrastructure projects and manage emergencies such as water shortages.

Thus, the mayors of the main progressive municipalities are opting for dialogue and a low profile, hoping the balance will tip in their favor in the next elections. "In 2027, I hope the left will govern again," March says confidently.