The Balearic parliament today approved, as expected, the change of name from Palma de Mallorca to Palma. The change involved a modification of the law which applies to capitals, such as Palma, and is the third time there has been a change since 2008.
The name, as it appears in the regional statute of autonomy is Palma, but the town hall used Palma de Mallorca as the official name up to 2008, when PSOE-led administrations (town hall and government) enabled the dropping of "de Mallorca". In 2012, with the Partido Popular running the town hall and the government, "de Mallorca" made an official comeback.
Parliament did not accept a proposal from opposition parties to use Palma de Mallorca in tourist promotion. In the debate, the government parties (plus Podemos) argued that Palma is the historical name of the city and that the principal toponymy experts say so. Keeping "de Mallorca" in order to avoid confusion with other places, e.g. La Palma and Las Palmas, is a "provincial" argument, the government maintained.
The PP have said that when in office again, they'll change the name back to Palma de Mallorca.