The month of March was hard for the residents of Villanueva de Viver. The fire began to devour its territory on March 23 in the first major forest fire of the year that devastated 4,700 hectares of great ecological value and forced the troops of the Valencian Community and Aragon to work together, as the flames threatened populations of both territories with dozens of evicted.
Two months later, the elections arrive and its until now mayoress, María Amparo Pérez, does not run for re-election in this municipality of 89 inhabitants. The Popular Party, which historically governs this small municipality of only 89 inhabitants, presents David Chiva, an independent, as future mayor, who is accompanied on the reduced list of only two candidates by another independent candidate, María Isabel Gascón. They compete with the PSOE and with another new formation, called Neighbors and Neighbors of Villanueva de Viver who chooses with a list of three candidates. But rallies or political acts are not expected, nothing to do with the largest populations in the Valencian territory.
And it is that Villanueva de Viver is one of the 24 municipalities with less than 100 inhabitants in the Valencian Community, a member of the so-called Route 99, a project launched this past legislature by the Generalitat Valenciana to give visibility and strengthen tourism in unpopulated territories . In Palanques the initiative has worked well, they explain from the local business that is in turn a bar, oven and pension.
They assure that on weekends there are many tourists - "they come by car and motorcycle too" - but these days the electoral campaign goes almost unnoticed. "Years ago, politicians still came, but now no one comes, they send us the letters and that's it," says the person who runs this business. They do not reach 40 inhabitants and the Popular Party has always governed them. Now Lucía Martí does it as Juan Manuel Martí did before and this 28M the candidate returns to run for one more legislature as first mayor.
They also know of recent fires in Sacañet, one of the towns evicted last summer when the serious Bejís forest fire occurred. Miguel Gámiz was one of those mayors and mayors who met every day at the Viver advanced command post to find out about the situation. The PSPV and the La Bellida Voters Association will face him to govern a town frequented by cyclists passionate about mountain routes that has fifty inhabitants and is the youngest in the province of Castellón, since it was founded in 1941.
In Benimassot there are 93 inhabitants. Near Alcoi, the capital of l'Alcoià, the PP has governed this past legislature in the town after 20 years of socialist governments. Ismael Molinés is the current mayor and who is running for re-election. In front of him he will have the PSPV and Compromís. And of the PP he is also the mayor of Famorca, where Vicente Antonio Ruiz governs, who is running for re-election. He will compete to direct this population of 48 inhabitants with the PSPV and Compromís.
Right at the other end, in Vallibona, province of Castellón, Juanjo Palomo, from the PSPV and who has been mayor since the 2003-2017 legislature, will present himself again this May. With only 61 inhabitants. He will compete with Jorge Manuel Sánchez, from the Popular Party.
For the same years, the socialist Eva María Azcutia has been ruling in Puebla de San Miguel, in the Rincón de Ademuz region. She is running for reelection on May 28 in a town with 59 inhabitants that another woman, María del Pilar Duval, of the PP, also aspires to govern. "Here we are not worried about the elections, the person is voted for more than the party and if whoever is doing it well that gives people peace of mind," explains a resident of the town, who values "the accessibility" with which They can talk face to face with the current mayor.
De Compromís is the current mayor of Carrícola, who in the last legislature put an end to socialist hegemony since the beginning of democracy. In this past legislature, Mª Teresa Cháfer and Juan Salvador Miralles have governed, who as an independent is running for re-election with the brand Som Carrícola-Compromís: Agreement to win. In its census there are 99 inhabitants.
In Herbers there has always been a mayor. From the times of the UCD to the current first councilor, who is from the Agrupació d'Electors d'Herbers party. His victory in the last elections marked the end of popular power, which had governed this town of only 63 inhabitants since 1995. Daniel Pallarés is running for re-election and will be playing for first place with the PP and the PSPV, who are also presenting candidacy. José, who runs a rural house, knows the work that there is in such a small town, since he was also linked to municipal tasks. "In a town, one or the other has to take the lead, the political sign is not so important here," explains José, who has been a councilor for many years and who runs a rural house. He explains that the training that the municipality now manages is "young people with desire, which is what the town needs because here, whatever happens, it is always 'the mayor'", he adds. And again he insists that the vote is for the person… “In the regional elections, everyone will vote what they think. But here we all know each other, ”he concludes.
