- Region
- Águilas
- Alhama de Murcia
- Jumilla
- Lorca
- Los Alcázares
- Mazarrón
- San Javier
-
ALL AREAS & TOWNS
- AREAS
- SOUTH WEST
- MAR MENOR
- MURCIA CITY & CENTRAL
- NORTH & NORTH WEST
- TOWNS
- Abanilla
- Abarán
- Aguilas
- Alamillo
- Alcantarilla
- Aledo
- Alhama de Murcia
- Archena
- Balsicas
- Blanca
- Bolnuevo
- Bullas
- Cañadas del Romero
- Cabo de Palos
- Calasparra
- Camping Bolnuevo
- Campo De Ricote
- Camposol
- Canada De La Lena
- Caravaca de la Cruz
- Cartagena
- Cehegin
- Ceuti
- Cieza
- Condado de Alhama
- Corvera
- Costa Cálida
- Cuevas De Almanzora
- Cuevas de Reyllo
- El Carmoli
- El Mojon
- El Molino (Puerto Lumbreras)
- El Pareton / Cantareros
- El Raso
- El Valle Golf Resort
- Fortuna
- Fuente Alamo
- Hacienda del Alamo Golf Resort
- Hacienda Riquelme Golf Resort
- Isla Plana
- Islas Menores & Mar de Cristal
- Jumilla
- La Azohia
- La Charca
- La Manga Club
- La Manga del Mar Menor
- La Pinilla
- La Puebla
- La Torre
- La Torre Golf Resort
- La Unión
- Las Palas
- Las Ramblas
- Las Ramblas Golf
- Las Torres de Cotillas
- Leiva
- Librilla
- Lo Pagan
- Lo Santiago
- Lorca
- Lorquí
- Los Alcázares
- Los Balcones
- Los Belones
- Los Canovas
- Los Nietos
- Los Perez (Tallante)
- Los Urrutias
- Los Ventorrillos
- Mar De Cristal
- Mar Menor
- Mar Menor Golf Resort
- Mazarrón
- Mazarrón Country Club
- Molina de Segura
- Moratalla
- Mula
- Murcia City
- Murcia Property
- Pareton
- Peraleja Golf Resort
- Perin
- Pilar de la Horadada
- Pinar de Campoverde
- Pinoso
- Playa Honda
- Playa Honda / Playa Paraíso
- Pliego
- Portmán
- Pozo Estrecho
- Puerto de Mazarrón
- Puerto Lumbreras
- Puntas De Calnegre
- Region of Murcia
- Ricote
- Roda Golf Resort
- Roldan
- Roldan and Lo Ferro
- San Javier
- San Pedro del Pinatar
- Santiago de la Ribera
- Sierra Espuña
- Sucina
- Tallante
- Terrazas de la Torre Golf Resort
- Torre Pacheco
- Totana
- What's On Weekly Bulletin
- Yecla
- EDITIONS: Spanish News Today Alicante Today Andalucia Today
ARCHIVED - Cartagena Mayoress and colleagues expelled from the PSOE party
Ana Belén Castejón pays the price for negotiating a power-sharing pact without consulting the regional party bosses
The PSOE political party has confirmed that Ana Belén Castejón, the Mayoress of Cartagena, and five other councillors elected at the local election on 26th May 2019 are henceforth expelled from the formation, following an appeal lodged by those affected after their temporary suspension on 19th August.
Apart from Sra Castejón the councillors involved are Juan Pedro Torralba Villada, María Irene Ruiz Roca, Manuel Mora Quinto, Alejandra Gutiérrez Pardo and David Martínez Noguera, all of whom are now unaffiliated, or independent councillors. However, they will retain the posts they hold in the local government despite the fact that the 18,902 votes which won them their seats on the council were cast in support of the PSOE party to which they no longer belong.
The reason for the decision to terminate their membership of the party is the power-sharing pact which was reached between the PSOE and its traditional rival, the PP, and Ciudadanos in Cartagena, an agreement negotiated by Sra Castejón and Noelia Arroyo of the PP, and Manuel Padín of CIudadanos, without the regional leadership of the PSOE being consulted. That agreement has resulted in Ana Belén Castejón remaining as Mayoress for the first two years of the 4-year legislature, after which she will step down in favour of Sra Arroyo, one of the consequences being that the local MC party, which won most votes on 26th May, is kept out of power in the Town Hall.
It is hard to imagine any moment at which the expulsion of the Cartagena councillors could be said to have come at a good time for the PSOE in the Region, but with campaigning beginning for the general election on 10th November this is an especially delicate moment as party supporters are divided in their opinions on the decision.
In the Town Hall, however, the local government insists that nothing has been changed by the announcement, although that may not be the case for long: now that they no longer represent a political party, the former PSOE councillors will lose a lot of the budget they have been entitled to for support in their work, while the hitherto party spokesperson, Alejandra Gutiérrez, will be deprived of a part of her salary.
Those who until now have been employed by the PSOE in Cartagena will be released but will be taken on by the Town Hall.
Image: Ana Belén Castejón (l) and Noelia Arroyo (r)
For more local news, events and other information go to the Cartagena section of Murcia Today.
Follow Murcia Today on Facebook to keep up to date with all the latest news, events and information in the Region of Murcia and the rest of Spain: https://www.facebook.com/MurciaToday/