Peace in the Alicante PSOE Following Appointment of Gestora President

José Antonio Amat from Elda, the PSPV's Secretary of Municipal Policy and former Provincial Organisation Secretary, will be the new president of the gestora that will lead the Alicante PSOE until the 2027 municipal elections. Amat is a trusted confidant of the current leader of the Alicante socialists, fellow Elda native Rubén Alfaro. He also has connections in Valencia as a member of the national executive.

Amat assumes the role with the mission of bringing peace and stability to the always turbulent Alicante socialist group, the largest in the Valencian Community. He takes the reins of the party following the resignation of Miguel Millana as general secretary, a month before the local assembly was to renew the leadership.

From there, his first mission is to calm tensions among the different socialist factions. The movements of party sensibilities ahead of the assembly had shaken the party. Meetings, as previously reported by TodoAlicante, were held to forge an alliance against the majority faction, led by Ángel Franco.

This was what Miguel Millana himself attempted since September without success, as he acknowledged in his farewell, deciding to step aside and resign. In his mind, removing control of the Alicante group from Franco and placing it in the hands of the PSPV.

The first mission, it seems, has been accomplished. The different socialist factions believe Amat "knows what he's doing" and give him a vote of confidence, as TodoAlicante has been able to verify. From his time as the PSPV's Provincial Organisation Secretary, under Alejandro Soler's leadership, they highlight that "he knows the party inside out and knows the lay of the land."

Amat's arrival in Alicante has been smooth, initially. This week, he will be able to address a broad representation of the membership at the L'Alacantí regional assembly, held in Sant Joan. There, the delegates of the Alicante socialists will attend following a negotiated list, in alphabetical order. Esther Donate, the socialist spokesperson in the municipality and candidate in 2023, will be the new regional secretary in a meeting expected to proceed calmly.

The same calm is expected to prevail in the Alicante PSOE from now on. It's not an easy task, as he arrives midway through the term and almost at the countdown to prepare the party for elections. Initially, the municipal elections, for which the socialists must present a candidate by summer 2026. That is, within a year.

This will be the litmus test, not only for Amat but also for the PSPV leadership under Diana Morant.