Juanfran Pérez Llorca, the Leading Candidate to Succeed Mazón

Since the time when Eduardo Zaplana, later a minister, transitioned from the mayorship of Benidorm to the presidency of the Valencian Generalitat, the Marina Baixa region has not seen any of its politicians rise to the head of the Consell. This situation could change in the coming hours or days if rumours are confirmed that position Juanfran Pérez Llorca from Finestrat as the successor to the recently resigned Carlos Mazón.

Unlike the Cartagena-born Zaplana, who held the highest office in the Generalitat from 1995 to 2002, initiating a long period of popular governance in the region, Pérez Llorca is indeed a 'son' of the Marina Baixa.

The current mayor of Finestrat was born in the municipality in 1976 and assumed the mayorship a decade ago, in 2015, succeeding Honorato Algado. Algado's term was overshadowed on October 21, 2011, when heavy rains in the region caused a flood in the ravine leading to La Cala de Finestrat, resulting in the deaths of Kenneth and Mary Hall, a British couple who were at the local market that day and were swept away by the flood.

Years later, the judiciary convicted Algado and his predecessor, socialist José Miguel Llorca (as well as the security councillor, Tomás Gaspar Sellés), of negligent homicide. Initially, the prosecution sought four years of imprisonment for each, but after a plea agreement, the sentence was reduced to fines of 5,400 euros each for two counts of less severe negligent homicide. The Finestrat Town Hall was also sentenced, subsidiarily, to pay the outstanding civil liability of 1,000 euros.

In the following local elections, Pérez Llorca replaced Algado as the leading candidate and has since governed his town with an absolute majority. In those first local elections of 2015, Pérez Llorca won with 54% of the votes (1,326), securing 8 of the 13 council seats.

This victory was repeated in a similar fashion four years later, when the PP, led by the now top candidate to succeed Mazón, obtained 56% of the votes (1,576), although this time the 'popular' party seated ten councillors in the plenary, with only three from the PSPV-PSOE.

However, the great electoral moment for Juanfran Pérez Llorca came two years ago, in the 2023 elections, when his list garnered 1,996 votes, or 73% of the valid votes in the municipality, increasing his absolute majority to an overwhelming count of eleven councillors, with only two from the PSPV-PSOE.

It was also from that moment that Pérez Llorca's figure gained significant prominence beyond his municipality. As the number two of Carlos Mazón, the politician from Finestrat was the architect of what later became known as the 'express pact' between the Popular Party and Vox to invest the then-president of the Generalitat, a move that even caught the Genoa leadership off guard, as they were debating the suitability of aligning their regional governments with Abascal's party.

A man of absolute and utmost trust for Mazón, Juanfran Pérez Llorca, in July 2024, still amidst the political aftermath of the DANA, took on the role of Síndic of the Popular Group in Les Corts, in addition to his other responsibilities within and outside the party.

After Carlos Mazón's resignation became inevitable following last week's state funeral, the debate over the succession of the now ousted president began, as usual, with conflicting preferences between Genoa and the Valencian PP.

In Madrid, Feijóo and his team lean towards the figure of the mayor of Valencia, Mª José Català, while in the Valencian Community (where there is concern that Català's departure from Cap i Casal could jeopardise the City Council and, with it, the Diputación), they favour the current provincial president of Valencia, Vicent Mompó.

However, Mompó is not a deputy in Les Corts and, therefore, could not assume the role of Molt Honorable without a prior electoral call. It is here that, over the past weekend, the internal machinery of the PP has been set in motion with various meetings between Pérez Llorca and the three provincial presidents (Toni Pérez for Alicante, Mompó for Valencia, and Marta Barrachina for Castellón), with the absence of Català (on an official trip to New York).

Following Mazón's press conference this Monday and, therefore, ruling out a short-term electoral call, Vicent Mompó has been ruled out as an immediate option, leaving only the current deputies in Les Corts in the running.

Among all of them, Juanfran Pérez Llorca is, according to sources familiar with the internal discussions, the consensus figure and interim mandate between the Valencian PP and Genoa. Additionally, Mazón may have given a hint in his Monday morning speech when he referred to his successor as "the future president," using the masculine form. Whether it was a slip or not will be known in the coming hours.

Within the Popular Party, there is particular concern about Vox's next move, as in any scenario, they need its votes to appoint a new Cap del Consell. In a situation where all polls predict a significant rise for Abascal's party in the Valencian Community, it is not ruled out that the green formation could force an election call by not supporting any 'popular' candidate.

And it is in this scenario where, once again, Juanfran Pérez Llorca is pointed out as a figure who, after that first express negotiation with Vox, could facilitate the continuity of the current legislature and thus postpone for two years the decision between Català and Mompó as the next leading candidate in regional elections.