The scandal over the kidnapping of a councilor in Maracena (Granada) has caused a real convulsion in the municipality and in the PSOE-A but has not completely curtailed the possibility of the Socialists to retain the municipal government, although for this they will have to find the complicity and support of other political groups.

The acting mayor, Berta Linares, pointed out by the confessed author of the kidnapping, her former partner Pedro Gómez, announced on Wednesday that she will open a round of negotiations with the rest of the political groups that have obtained representation in the autonomous Chamber, with the intention of forming a government.

The gruesome event that shocked the life of Maracena last February has had an electoral impact on the results of May 28, and the PSOE, at the center of the judicial investigation, has lost four of the councilors it had in the previous mandate. However, the candidacy of Berta Linares has once again been the most voted, with 7 councilors, which opens options to govern as long as other formations support her. And that seems a priori complicated since both Berta Linares and her Town Planning Councilor Antonio García Leyva are under the focus of the judicial investigation as alleged accomplices or cover-ups of the kidnapping.

For any other political group, agreeing on the continuity of the current municipal government in the current circumstances will be a dish of bad taste, especially considering that the Superior Court of Justice of Andalusia could call to declare the current mayor as investigated in the coming months, if she attends to the request made last week by the investigating judge of the case. Linares would need to ally with three different formations to overcome the sum of votes of the PP and Vox.

The composition of the city council emerged from the polls is especially complicated with six different formations: the PSOE obtained 7 councilors, 6 the PP, 3 Para la Gente, 2 VOX, 2 Quiero Maracena (QM) and 2 of Maracena Conecta 23 (MC23).

During her appearance this morning, Berta Linares expressly ruled out resigning and asked the High Court of Justice of Andalusia to summon her "as soon as possible" to be able to declare and defend her innocence.

"I am not going to resign because I think that resigning would be recognizing a guilt that is not such," said Berta Linares, who regretted that the accusations made by her former partner are used against her and against the PSOE, of which she has said that "it is not well", in reference to her mental health problems.

Linares has insisted on his innocence and "honorability" and has rejected that the judge lifted the secrecy of the summary, which brought to light his alleged involvement in the events just a few days before the elections: "It does not seem fair to us that it has been." He blames this movement for the loss of the absolute majority.

  • Kidnappings
  • Justice
  • Serrallo Case

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