Spokesperson of the Popular Group of Cortes Valencianas and Mayor of Finestrat, Juan Francisco Pérez Jurca, will be the eighth president of the Generalitats of Valenciana in Democracy. However, his appointment did not come from the will of the people of Valencia expressed in the elections, but from the support of the extreme right of Vox for the People’s Party which supported every one of its postulates in the plenary session of the inauguration held on Thursday from 11:00 in the Cortes Valenciennes. This is the situation that resulted from the resignation of Carlos Mazzone on November 3 as a result of his management of Aldana.
The spokesman for the Vox party in the Valencian parliament, José María Llanos, confirmed during the inauguration debate that he would support Juan Francisco Pérez Jurca as head of the government of Valenciana: “We will support his inauguration.”
There are two precedents of presidents investing in legislative power due to the resignation of those elected in elections, in both cases from the People’s Party: José Luis Olivas in 2002, after the resignation of Eduardo Zaplana as Minister of Labor, and Alberto Fabra, after the resignation of Camps in 2011 due to the lawsuit case linked to the “Gurtel” conspiracy, of which he was declared “innocence”.
Finally, Pérez Jurca’s speech convinced Santiago Abascal’s supporters that they had thus succeeded in avoiding the uncertainty of holding a second election, and regional elections, if things had not gotten too bad. This scenario was the least desirable, especially by the People’s Party, because it would have meant endangering the Valencian Community government.
Since the ultras were already warning and without knowing the exact details, the agreement would involve assuming the harshest postulates of the far right on immigration and climate denial, while the European People’s Party itself, led by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, supports and promotes the European Green Deal and the 2030 Agenda.
In his speech, Pérez Jurca stressed that “the European Green Deal is the biggest threat to our farmers” and that it was “imposed by European office elites”, when the reality is that it was agreed by the European People’s Party itself with the support of socialists in Brussels. Regarding immigration, he stated that they would work “with formulas so that minors return to their families and have a chance for the future with policies based on legality.”
Pérez Yurca, “Mazonista” does not pass through
“Masonism” has once again won the battle against the national leadership of the People’s Party. Who knows if it will be the last. After days of hesitation, the leadership headed by Alberto Núñez Viejo opted for continuity and appointed Juan Francisco Pérez Yurca, Juanfran of all close to the Cortes, Carlos Mazón’s successor to occupy the presidency of the state of Valenciana. Figo’s first candidate had always been the mayor of Valencia, María José Catala, but her appointment at this time could have been even more counterproductive because it would have meant emptying the engine room of City Hall, i.e. its circle of trust, to transfer it to the Palau de la Generalitat in a time of wear and tear from the dana. Finally, the National President of the People’s Party chose to save that bullet for a better occasion, perhaps in light of the upcoming elections scheduled to be held two years from now.
However, despite his public denials, Pérez Jurca has no idea about being interim president. Anyone who knows him knows that he will try to convince the party’s heavyweights and hardliners to run in the next elections if the opinion polls are simple for the time being, and as was clearly shown in the secret meeting in Benidorm after Mazzone’s resignation, he will have the support of the three provincial presidents. After that meeting, Valencia Provincial Council President Vicente Mombo was discussed as a potential candidate. But first a regional congress of popular parties must be held, at which former President Francisco Camps has already announced that he will present himself as a legitimate candidate to lead the party. It remains to be seen what Perez Yurca and Catala will do. Or even Genoa to avoid a fratricidal confrontation between the famous Valencians.
Pérez Lorca (Finestrat, Alicante, 1976) is a reserved and close man. He confirmed 24 hours before his appointment that no one had informed him of his candidacy. He’s the mayor of Finestrat, and he owes it to his neighbors. The three-term mayor is beginning to grow in municipal politics, in a small municipality in the shadow of Benidorm. In 2015, he was elected Regional Deputy of Alicante, a position that was renewed in 2019. Under the leadership of Carlos Mazzone, his career began to grow rapidly: he was appointed Regional Coordinator of Alicante, then Deputy Organizing Secretary of the PPCV. With the electoral leap made by the PP in the regional elections of 2023, he became Secretary General of the Party, and in 2024, with the reconstitution of the Council, he assumed the position of spokesman for the Popular Group of the Cortes of Valencia. He owes his growth to Mazzone.