Valladolid's mayor, Jesús Julio Carnero, has announced his candidacy for re-election in 2027 and has challenged minister Óscar Puente to run. The Popular Party member seeks to renew the coalition government with Vox.
Valladolid's mayor, Jesús Julio Carnero (PP), has issued a direct challenge to the Minister of Transport and former socialist mayor Óscar Puente: "Come on, I'm waiting for you." This was his response on Tuesday when asked if he fears Puente will run in the 2027 municipal elections.
Carnero, who has been in office since 2023 with the support of Vox, stated that he has "absolutely no fear" and is confident in revalidating his position. The mayor presented the pillars of his campaign at a press conference, supported by his government team and the president of the PP in Valladolid, Conrado Íscar.
The mayor focused part of his speech on 'sanchismo', a term he uses to refer to the policies of the Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez. Carnero criticized the municipal opposition from the PSOE, led by minister Ana Redondo, for "defending a couple of ministers and a Prime Minister" instead of prioritising the city's interests.
In the 2023 elections, the socialists won by a narrow margin: they obtained 36.69% of the votes compared to 36.22% for the PP. However, Carnero secured the mayoralty thanks to the support of Vox, which received 11.67% of the votes and entered the municipal executive with Irene Carvajal as deputy mayor.
Carnero has reviewed his management and pointed out that "we managed to unseat sanchismo, but the economic situation at the start of the mandate was marked by a structural deficit and spending commitments without sufficient funding." In contrast, he defended that "today the situation is more solid thanks to management based on planning, responsibility, and spending control while we have been able to consolidate the path of tax reduction."
The mayor has outlined ten "challenges" for the coming months: promoting housing, supporting self-employed workers and local commerce, strengthening citizen security, enhancing mobility and public transport, building a "cleaner, greener, and healthier" city, promoting Valladolid as an investment and entrepreneurship destination, boosting culture, tourism, and sports, and preparing an electoral campaign of "active listening."
Carnero also insisted on the need for institutional collaboration to achieve the underground railway, a historic demand of the city. He urged the central government, and particularly Puente, to work together on this project.
Regarding coexistence with Vox, Carnero preferred to "wash the dirty laundry at home" and expressed confidence that the party would continue working together with the same "responsibility" as the PP in the nine months leading up to the elections.
The mayor has received support from the president of the PP in Valladolid, Conrado Íscar, who highlighted Carnero's management and stressed the importance of maintaining the mayoralty against "sanchismo." The 2027 municipal elections are shaping up to be a key duel between the PP and PSOE in the Castilian capital.
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