Pablo Ruz, the mayor of Elche (Alicante), is currently hospitalised at the Elche General Hospital due to a “medical indisposition,” according to municipal sources on Monday. Ruz is a member of the People’s Party.The board of spokespersons has unanimously agreed to postpone two plenary sessions that were originally scheduled for today, in light of this circumstance. The Socialist faction requested an additional session in addition to the standard April session.The Elche City Council will declare the new dates for both sessions in the coming days, according to the same sources. The initial session was scheduled for 8:30 a.m. on Monday, April 27th, and the extraordinary session was to be conducted following the conclusion of the first session.
In contrast, Francisco Soler, the deputy mayor and councillor for Municipal Strategy, has been appointed as the interim mayor. Soler is a member of the People’s Party. This situation is addressed in Article 125.1 of Law 7/1985, of April 2nd, which regulates the Bases of Local Government. The provision states that “the mayor may appoint deputy mayors from among the councillors who form part of the local government board, who will replace him, in the order of their appointment, in cases of vacancy, absence, or illness.” This decision will remain in effect until its express revocation.From the opposition, Héctor Díez, the PSPV spokesperson in the Elche City Council, wished Ruz “the best” and a “speedy recovery.” He stated, “Health must come before any other consideration.”Díez, who expressed his desire for the mayor to return “as soon as possible,” stated in statements that the Socialist group is anticipating the meeting of spokespeople “next Wednesday” to establish a date for the two pending plenary sessions as soon as possible.The PSPV spokesperson also encouraged the governing team, which consists of PP and Vox, to make the “appropriate decisions” regarding the mayor’s powers in order to ensure that the council can continue to operate in a “normal” manner.
