Compromís per Dénia and its decision: Carrió's poisoned key

They spent the campaign repeating that they wanted to be decisive, and they have succeeded. They have the future of the Dénia City Council in their hands. But it is a double-edged sword that can damage more to Compromís than the rest of the candidates.

The future of the Dénia City Council will depend on the Compromís candidate

After the electoral result, without a clear government despite the indisputable victory of the PSPV In the city, it is time for closed-door meetings, open-door pranks, agreements and betrayals. A scenario that seemed unlikely, since logic pointed to a new simple Acord del Castell. But the last eight years have created wounds that sting all the time, making it very difficult for Compromís to forget them. Nothing is so simple anymore.

The formation of Rafa Carrió is at a crossroads. He has in his possession the key to the government and some clear ideas with which to start. But the results obtained play against him. The Valencian player has admitted it, they expected to be more decisive. They have grown slightly in votes in Dénia, but not enough to achieve greater representation, which in a way is a defeat. They have gone from being the city's second force to the third. The bipartisanship seems to gain weight again and the relevance of Compromís is in danger. Also their visibility, which is something they know they need to be the strongest rival again.

To this we must add its state beyond Dénia. They come from worsening their result in the autonomic ones, which in part has caused that the Pacte del Botànic cannot be repeated. In the general elections they also lost representation in the last elections after deciding to ally with the Madrid formation of Más País. In 2016, by coming together with Podemos, they obtained 9 seats of which 4 ended up in the hands of Compromís. Your best result. Since 2019 they only have one deputy, and now they are absorbed in how to face the polls in July.

They don't have time to think about what is happening in each municipality and it seems that many red lines and unbreakable pacts have been diluted. Compromís per Dénia will have to make the decision practically alone, with fewer ties than ever, but not only with the future of the City Council at stake, but also that of the training itself in the city.

The possible Acord del Castell 2.0

The most logical scenario, as we said, is the pact with PSPV. A progressive government, as has happened in the city whenever there has been a possibility. In fact, they were partners between 2015 and 2019 with the same spokespersons, Carrió and Grimalt, so it would not be anything new. And no one would miss. It is also something that has been repeated in countless municipalities throughout the Valencian territory, and in the Generalitat itself with the Pacte del Botànic. And Grimalt has openly stated that it is the option he wants. So why not?

Vicent Grimalt and Rafa Carrió celebrating the 2015 electoral result

Well, because Compromís considers that she left the Acord del Castell badly. They are weighed down by the little recognition they got for all the achievements they achieved. In addition, they consider the areas that were offered to them in 2019 to collaborate with the socialist government (which no longer needed them) to be contemptuous, and that was what led them to resign and remain in opposition. Their work from 2015 to 2019, the great transformation of Dénia in which they also participated, was rewarded with an absolute majority of the PSPV, the loss of votes from the Valencianists and the back of the Socialists. It is understood from those 2019 results that people were very happy with the legislature that had taken place, enough to vote en masse... for the mayor.

"It is always the mayor's office that gets the good stuff," said Carrió himself in his interview with this newspaper during the campaign. They are very illuminating words. Therefore, it is not unreasonable to think that this is going to be one of the requests of the Valencianista: the Mayor's Office. Only in this way does it seem that his achievements can be recognized and he can regain representation in the future. In fact, in the aforementioned interview he even admitted it and said that what they were going to ask for in the negotiations was the mayor's office. He said it between laughs and that's how we interpreted it, as a joke. Now it no longer seems so. And then there are his campaign mantras such as "we have come out to win" and "we are nobody's complement." But is it possible for him to get it?

There is the option of sharing the Mayor's office. Or rather, distribute it. Two years one and two years another, as has been done in nearby town halls. Again, it would not be surprising if this option was on the table. That it was, in fact, the proposal to leave Compromís in the negotiations with PSPV. For Compromís it is surely the best scenario: a new progressive government with which to work on its policies comfortably, but this time receiving the credit that corresponds to them. In addition, the electorate could see what a government with Compromís at the head is and that this would help to achieve greater representation. In fact, it almost seems like the only option, getting three councilors after being in office and three councilors after leading the opposition.

It could be feasible that the PSPV would govern for two years and then Grimalt would leave it in the hands of Carrió, but the situation of the still mayor must be understood. Grimalt suffered a triple defeat last Sunday. On the one hand, his party fails to govern again in the Generalitat despite having improved its autonomous result. On the other, nearby places where the PSPV was comfortable and sentífor sure, like XàbiaThey saw that everything was disrupted overnight and the town hall could change color. And, finally, the tenth councillor. The loss by very little of a councilor in Dénia in favor of the PP It was a hard blow, because until the last minute they were in the fray to get it. It was not so. An unfair feeling when he has achieved the second best historical result of his match in Dénia. But still he seems to have lost. And if he is asked to resign as mayor, even for only half a term, he would surely take it as a fourth defeat difficult to digest.

The pact with the right

Hairy. Not impossible, but it is at least tricky. At another time, the simple fact of thinking about it would have meant that from Valencia they asked for Carrió's head. With the Botànic, Compromís and PSPV had to rely on all the town halls. In addition, the co-spokesperson for Compromís, Àgueda Micó, made it clear this week to EFE: he is not going to agree with the PP because "it is the extreme right." But the party is going through a certain crisis throughout the Community, so these pacts could be allowed, a priori, unnatural. Or, at least, with the mess they have in Valencia and what they will do in the general elections in July, they will not be paying much attention to what is going on in the municipalities and, therefore, they are not exerting any pressure to avoid this type of agreement. Moreover, those of Carrió have also made it clear during the campaign: they are "the force of dialogue." So, to talk.

Pepa Font with his team this campaign

Pepa Font He has offered himself openly and has recognized that the numbers give. They would only need that Gent of Dénia or Vox abstained. If the theory that Compromís wants to demonstrate its worth in the Mayor's Office is true, it seems that they would have it easier with the PP to achieve that partition of the legislature into two: that of PP and that of Compromís.

Now, the programs of both are day and night. To give just one example, some want to open the center to cars, others want to continue betting on pedestrianization. And although in the end agreements can be reached, there are issues that could be more inexcusable in the face of the Compromís electorate. Undoubtedly, one of them is the issue of the hospital. Compromís has carried out a tremendous campaign in favor of the reversal of the Hospital de Dénia, and it is well known that it hangs by a thread with the Government of the PP of Mazón. If this were finally the case and the PP paralyzes said reversal, could Compromís sleep peacefully next to the party that has allowed it?

Also, of course, there is what his electorate will think. How would they make a pact with the PP? It is hard to see how it would benefit them in upcoming elections. As much as they let them govern half a legislature and that image is seen, they will also show that of those who favored the right to govern. It is to be expected that an important part of the electorate voted for Compromís knowing that they had no chance of governing with a majority, assuming that they would agree with the PSPV. That is to say, they voted for that government, but against the absolute socialist majority. But, how many voted for them to govern with the PP?

simple majority

There is this third option. Compromís facilitates a PSPV government alone, with a simple majority, but they remain in opposition. It is very similar to what they did with the absolute majority and the result did not go particularly well. In this case they would have the advantage of being able to engage in continuous negotiations with the PSPV and squeeze them in their favor. But, once again, it does not seem that this could greatly benefit the image of the option to govern that they want to give in the future.

And if Compromís is not as decisive as you think?

This Thursday there was an unexpected turn of events that lasted just over two hours, but it sure put Compromís in a bind. Pepa Font summoned the press and publicly reached out to the PSPV to form a joint government. Suddenly there was another new option that left Compromís completely off the game board. Being that agreement between the two most voted forces a possibility, Carrió's formation becomes irrelevant, since they would not need it at all.

Presentation of 2018 in which the three candidates coincided

But it is an unlikely pact. Yes, in Dénia everything can happen and in the end it is only a municipality. It wouldn't be the first time something like this has been seen. But everything indicates that this declaration was one more negotiation strategy to create precisely that effect, to make Compromís nervous and force them to accept the most favorable agreement at first without thinking too much about it. Do not let them think so that they agree "like crazy". Any option is better than irrelevance. Even a pact with the right.

The PSPV were very intelligent there and quickly issued a harsh statement in which they completely ruled out the PP proposal. And they insisted again that their commitment is for a government with Compromís, without detours. Although what was read in that statement seemed to come from a person offended by Pepa Font's proposal, that of the pact with the rival, the truth is the words point much further. If it is true that it was all a ruse by the PP, they warned about it and responded accordingly, so they were really sending a message to Compromís of calm. "You are still holding the key, you are still decisive, don't be too hasty and let's keep talking," the Socialists seem to have really meant.

the poisoned key

Be that as it may, it seems that the government is still in the hands of Compromís and there are only three options: govern with PSPV, govern with PP or facilitate the socialist government and remain in the opposition. It seems that whatever they choose may lead to a loss of voters for the future. Or, at least, it does not seem to favor recovering greater representation in future legislatures. Almost all of them are repeating what is already known, knowing how it ends. They only have to achieve a good deal in their favor to turn the tables.