Outgoing Mayor of Palma Isern refuses to close the door on a return to politics

Palma’s outgoing mayor, Mateo Isern of the Partido Popular, says that his immediate future will see him return to his legal practice but that he hasn’t closed the door on a return to political life. “I don’t know what the future holds for me.” However, he is making it clear that at present he is not looking to become leader of the PP in the Balearics. “I have not planned anything other than on Saturday to hand over the staff of office to the new mayor and to then go on holiday and return to private life.”
In responding to journalists’ questions, he admitted that he had not envisaged that he would be leaving in the manner that he is, although he was referring more to the results of the election in Palma (where the PP did not perform well) rather than to his own political career. “The citizens are the ones who are right, the ones who put you in power and who remove you. Now it is our turn to leave and we leave as is normal just as four years ago we arrived, as was normal.”
Isern expressed his fondness for the people of Palma but admitted that the lack prestige in which the political class of the day is held was a difficulty.  He was speaking after chairing his final council meeting as mayor, at which he thanked the work that had been done by all the councillors: his “28 friends”. He wished them all luck and concluded the final session by announcing: “it is now your turn, gentlemen and ladies (the administration), let play begin”.