The ups and downs of the Prohens Government's high-ranking officials: 142 changes in three years

PalmaThe presidency and the heads of the departments are only part of a Government. Below these top figures there is a second and third level of senior officials who are key players in the functioning of the Administration. These are secretaries and general directors, managers and advisors who are known by the Italianism sottogoverno. This legislature has seen a high turnover among these trusted positions. In three years, there have been 142 changes of position: 68.27% of senior officials have changed ownership or responsibilities. Sources from the Executive admit that volatility can have consequences for the stability of institutional functioning.

The latest examples are the dismissal of the Director General of Costs and Littoral, Maria Joaquina Ferrer – just one year after being appointed – and the resignation of the Director of Ports of the Balearic Islands, Francisco José Villalonga, who has not yet been replaced because the Government cannot find a successor, as this media outlet has learned. However, these changes are added to a long list. According to calculations made by ARABalears from the list of positions published by the Government on the Transparency Portal between November 2023 and July 2026, a total of 142 personnel movements have been made this legislature. This means that almost seven out of ten current positions have been modified in some way since the beginning of the legislature.

208 senior officials

The Government has gone from managing 181 senior positions in 2023 to 208 positions after the Executive's reshuffle in July 2025. Along the way, there have been 38 dismissals of holders who have left the structure, 64 new appointments of people who were not on the initial 2023 list, and 40 internal job changes or promotions. In this latter group, recurrent mobility stands out, with profiles that have moved on repeated occasions to different positions. Thus, at least six people have held three different jobs during the legislature. The clearest example is that of Catalina Cabrer, who started as Director General of Work and Occupational Health, then became Autonomous Secretary of Work, and finally was appointed Minister of Work.

The period with the most internal changes in the Executive took place between July and December 2025. According to the published list of positions, in just five months, 39 changes were recorded, due to the reshuffle of the Department of Families and the creation of the Department of Work, aside from the departure of minister Catalina Cirer. Thus, during this period, ten people were definitively dismissed, eight new appointments were made – in addition to that of the new Minister of Families, Sandra Fernández – and 19 job changes or internal movements.

Government sources insist on distinguishing changes resulting from the government's reshuffle from other movements of senior officials. Nevertheless, they admit that "there has been a lot of turnover." According to data from the Transparency Portal, five general secretariats – that of Housing has already had three different holders – and 20 general directorates have changed hands. "Sometimes, dismissals have occurred because the profile did not fit what was required, and others due to a poor relationship with technicians or other stakeholders," assure sources from the Executive. "In these cases, an effort has been made to ensure the change was for the better." But other times the Government has had to accept resignations that have altered its plans.

At the beginning of the legislature, Prohens' Executive had difficulties finding trusted profiles. This led to appointments of people "who did not fully fit what was needed," such as civil servants not accustomed to the media pressure of the political front line, explain the consulted sources. "Adjustments had to be made," they insist. Beyond these adjustments, there have been controversial dismissals, such as that of the Director General of Coasts, Maria Joaquina Ferrer – criticized by 21 civil servants who defended her management of Formentera beach permits – and the three turnovers in Education general directorates in just six months. However, the most serious episode was that of the Director General of IBETEC, Juan Antonio Serra Ferrer, dismissed in November 2023 when it became public that he had a pending trial for alleged sexual assault, a case in which Vice President Antoni Costa admitted he already knew about the complaint before appointing him.

Sign of "instability"

“It is good news that parties show adaptability and can replace pieces. The problem arises when this mobility becomes a reflection of instability in some general directorates, such as the Directorate General of Coasts,” points out political analyst Toni Fornés. “In cases of high rotation, it shows that the governing party cannot quite find the key to deal with different circumstances,” he insists. “If high-ranking officials change every year, it is very difficult for the Administration to implement policies, because processes are constantly renewed.” Professor of Public and Constitutional Law Sebastià Rubí adds, for his part, the importance of the proper functioning of the second level of Government: “Without this, the institution’s machinery does not work.” High-ranking officials, he explains, “are the ones who make day-to-day decisions and process files, and they can also lead to a slowdown of the Administration”.