The crisis between the Partido Popular (PP) and VOX in the City Council of Alcalá de Henares has escalated after Mayor Judith Piquet decided to remove VOX spokesperson Víctor Acosta from his Second Deputy Mayor position and the Department of Strategic and European Projects. This action, formalized by decree last Friday, has been viewed by VOX as a unilateral rupture of the government pact signed in June 2023, leading to cross-accusations that jeopardize municipal political stability less than a year before elections.
Víctor Acosta appeared before the media accompanied by his group's councilors and the trusted officials also dismissed, arguing that the PP's decision culminates a crisis that, in his view, has been ongoing for over a year. He recalled that VOX enabled Judith Piquet's investiture and considered the alteration of responsibilities unjustified.
“"The government agreement is broken. The Partido Popular broke it unilaterally."
According to Acosta, the conflict originated in May 2025 with a budget modification of nearly 49 million euros processed without prior negotiation. Although VOX supported the measure to avoid a crisis, they warned the PP against similar actions. Relations deteriorated, primarily due to the government's refusal to grant Acosta direct access to the accounting information of the Municipal Sports City, an organization he chairs.
The VOX spokesperson maintains that this information is crucial for exercising his responsibilities and overseeing the economic management, suspecting potential irregularities. He mentioned previous judicial proceedings related to the Municipal Sports City and the existence of warnings about internal accounting issues not yet personally verified.
Maximum tension was reached with a 68 million euro budget modification rejected in the last Plenary session. VOX accuses the PP of attempting to push it through urgently and without negotiation, conditioning the pact's continuity on its full approval. Acosta stated: 'They again presented us with the demand to approve this budget modification without changing a single comma, under penalty of breaking the government pact.'
The controversy over access to the Municipal Sports City's accounting is accompanied by a legal report prepared by VOX, which defends the organization's president's right to directly consult economic information in municipal management applications. The report cites legislation on electronic administration and the Law Regulating Local Government Bases to argue councilors' right to obtain necessary information for their duties.
Despite the rupture, VOX retains executive responsibilities: Acosta presides over District II and the Municipal Sports City, while Pilar Cruz keeps Family, Childhood, and Youth, and Antonio Peñalver holds Economic Development and Employment. However, Acosta acknowledges the political agreement is broken and that support for future PP initiatives will be analyzed case by case, creating uncertainty.
Mayor Judith Piquet justified the removal of powers due to a loss of political confidence following her partner's behavior during the budget process. VOX rejects this explanation, pointing to the refusal to support economic decisions without negotiation and the insistence on accessing the Municipal Sports City's accounting information as the true reasons for the crisis.
