The Popular Party has extended a proposal to the municipal group of Vox in the Alcalá de Henares City Council: withdraw the budget modification intended for the plenary session if Vox immediately sits down to negotiate the municipal budgets, which have been pending for months. This offer, made this Monday, places Víctor Acosta's party at a crucial crossroads for local politics.
The Popular Party proposes opening immediate negotiations to finalize the accounts and bring them for approval in July. They warn that if no agreement is reached, they will maintain the budget modification and consider their governing partner to have chosen to act as the opposition. This crisis highlights the most delicate moment for the coalition formed by PP and Vox since Judith Piquet took office as Mayor in 2023.
The trigger for the escalation was a press release from Vox questioning the budget modification and demanding greater transparency. The PP rejects any insinuation of irregularity and argues that the modification is essential for specific city needs, such as investments in sidewalks, asphalt, improvements to municipal buildings, and reinforcement of the Local Police and Civil Protection. They recall that the modification was already approved in committee with the favorable vote of the Vox councilor.
One cannot be a partner of someone they do not trust, nor is it viable to maintain a government pact if there is disloyal conduct between partners.
Far from confrontation, the PP proposes withdrawing the budget modification from the agenda of the next plenary session if Vox agrees to negotiate the municipal budget project this week. The Popular Party points out that Vox has had the draft budget since December 5th and has not presented formal proposals in six months. The offer includes reaching an agreement within ten days to present the budgets to the July plenary.
Judith Piquet's party believes that Vox must decide whether it wants to continue as a governing party or act as the opposition, as it is not compatible to be part of the Executive and vote with PSOE and Más Madrid against initiatives from the government itself. The tone used reflects a clear deterioration in the political relationship, jeopardizing the stability of the municipal government in the second half of its term.
The coming hours will be decisive. If Vox accepts the invitation and a budget agreement is reached, the crisis could be resolved. If, on the contrary, they maintain their rejection and opt to vote with the opposition, the conflict would worsen. The city is witnessing a political tug-of-war that determines the ability of PP and Vox to continue governing together, requiring understanding between partners or the support of the opposition to advance important decisions.
