The mayor of Palma, Jaime Martínez Llabrés, has been re-elected president of the People's Party (PP) in the city after securing 99.5% of the vote at a party congress held on Saturday at Casa Esment. In his speech after the vote, Martínez said the result showed the party was “united” and thanked members for their backing, adding that it confirmed the political strategy launched in 2021 was “moving forward with firm steps”.
He said the party’s aim had been to regain control of Palma’s city hall in 2023 after what he described as “eight years of mismanagement by left-wing parties”, which he argued had led to “an unprecedented decline in the city’s quality of life”. Martínez also defended the municipal government’s work since the PP took office at Palma City Hall, highlighting measures in public services, security and housing.
On public safety, the mayor said the council was making “the largest budget investment in its history”, with a target of recruiting more than 375 new Local Police officers by 2027, exceeding the initial commitment of 300. Housing, he added, remained a priority, with the council promoting measures to increase supply through the release of land, faster planning permissions and the development of affordable homes.
Martínez also pointed to investment in neighbourhoods across the city, saying improvements were being made to streets, squares and local facilities after years in which “many residents felt the council had turned its back on them”. He thanked the president of the Balearic government and regional PP leader, Marga Prohens, and the president of the Council of Mallorca, Llorenç Galmés, highlighting changes to the Capital City Law guaranteeing Palma a minimum annual allocation of €25m.
However, he criticised what he described as a lack of commitment from Spain’s central government over several pending projects, including the development of Son Busquets, works at Es Baluard des Príncep and the renovation of the EDAR II wastewater treatment plant (Palma). He also described irregular migration as one of the main challenges facing Palma and the Balearic Islands, calling on Madrid to provide “solutions” to what he said was “unsustainable” migratory pressure.