ARCHIVED - Mayoress of Cartagena resigns

Ana Belén Castejón gives way to Noelia Arroyo after 4 years as Mayoress in two governing coalitions

After four years in office, Ana Belén Castejón Hernández resigned from her post as Mayoress of Cartagena on Thursday, giving way to her successor Noelia Arroyo as part of a power-sharing deal similar to the one which saw her become Mayoress in 2017, and will cease to lead the local council as of Friday 11^th June.

When Sra Castejón first took office it was as a representative of the PSOE party after a power-sharing agreement was reached with the local MC party following the local election of 2015, ending a 20-year period during which Pilar Barreiro of the PP was Mayoress. On that occasion she shared leadership of the council with the volatile MC leader José López, but after the 2019 election a shock deal was brokered between the PP and the PSOE in order to prevent Sr López from taking office for a 4-year term.

That deal resulted in Sra Castejón and her former PSOE colleagues being stripped of her right to represent the party and for the last two years she has led the Town Hall as an independent councillor. However, while confirming her resignation on Thursday she expressed no regrets over the deal, stating that it has resulted in a “stable and united government” featuring two groups who “leave aside their differences and join forces” in the interests of Cartagena.

On Saturday  PP Vice-Mayoress, Noelia Arroyo, should theoretically be voted in as the new Mayoress is a special session of the council.