The president of the centre right Partido Popular in Palma, Jaime Martínez, was sworn in as the new mayor on Saturday morning with the sole backing of the eleven councillors of his party.
The new mayor, who recovers Palma City Hall for the PP after eight years of left-wing coalition governments, has opted to govern in a minority by rejecting the proposal of a joint government by Vox, which has six councillors.
After taking over from his predecessor, the socialist Jose Hila, Martínez made a brief speech in which he called for understanding and consensus in favour of the city’s residents: “Let’s stop focusing on the few things that separate us.”
He described the task he faces as an “extraordinary challenge” and promised to approach the responsibility with “self-reliance, a vocation for public service, humility and dialogue”.
The mayor has reiterated on three occasions his appeal to dialogue and understanding between the political forces around his “road map”, a programme of action based on culture, sport and the environment as the axes of the legislature.
In the short term, he stressed that his priorities will be to improve cleanliness, safety and mobility, facilitate access to housing and apply “a fiscal revolution” that favours families and reactivates the economy.