Luis Barcala
{{short description|Spanish politician}}
{{family name hatnote|Barcala|Sierra|lang=Spanish}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Luis Barcala
| caption =
| office = Mayor of Alicante
| term_start = 19 April 2018
| term_end =
| predecessor = Gabriel Echávarri
| successor =
| office1 = Member of the City Council of Alicante
| term_start1 = 9 September 2011
| birth_place = Sant Joan d'Alacant, Spain
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1962|3|19|df=y}}
| citizenship = Spanish
| party = People's Party
| profession = {{hlist|lawyer|politician}}
| alma_mater =
| image = Luis Barcala (47183118202).jpg
}}
Luis José Barcala Sierra (born in 1962) is a lawyer and the current mayor of Alicante, Spain since 19 April 2018.{{Cite web|url=https://www.elmundo.es/comunidad-valenciana/alicante/2018/04/19/5ad8426f468aeb420c8b45b4.html|title=Luis Barcala (PP), nuevo alcalde de Alicante tras el voto en blanco de la ex de Podemos, Nerea Belmonte|date=2018-04-19|website=ELMUNDO|language=es|access-date=2019-02-27}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.alicante.es/es/contenidos/luis-barcala-sierra|title=Luis Barcala Sierra|date=2015-01-27|website=Ayuntamiento de Alicante|language=es|access-date=2019-02-27}}
Biography
Luis Barcala was born in Sant Joan d'Alicante.{{Cite web|url=https://www.europapress.es/comunitat-valenciana/noticia-barcala-abogado-tres-masteres-alma-pintor-consolida-ano-frente-alicante-20190527004920.html|title=Barcala, un abogado con tres másteres y alma de pintor se consolida tras un año al frente de Alicante|date=2019-05-27|publisher=Europa Press|access-date=2019-07-08}} His father, Luis Barcala Muñoz, captain in the Spanish Air Force, died in a plane crash in Los Llanos, Albacete on November 19, 1974.{{Cite web|url=http://hemeroteca.abc.es/nav/Navigate.exe/hemeroteca/madrid/abc/1974/11/26/100.html|title=ABC (Madrid) - 26/11/1974, p. 100 - ABC.es Hemeroteca|website=hemeroteca.abc.es|access-date=2019-07-08}}
In his childhood, he was an athlete and in 1975 he won the Alicante provincial youth championship in 80 meters and 300 meter sprint.{{cite news|title=Cantidad y calidad de participantes en la primera jornada de los sábados atléticos|work=Diario Información|date=13 November 1975|language=es}}
Barcala holds an undergraduate degree in Law and a Master's degree in Foreign Trade from the University of Alicante. He also obtained a Master's degree in Business Labor Consulting from Cerem Business School, as well as a Master's degree in Banking Law.{{Cite web |date=2019-05-26 |title=Barcala (PP), un abogado con tres másteres y alma de pintor se consolida tras un año al frente de Alicante |url=https://www.lavanguardia.com/local/valencia/20190527/462488124010/barcala-un-abogado-con-tres-masteres-y-alma-de-pintor-se-consolida-tras-un-ano-al-frente-de-alicante.html |access-date=2024-11-04 |website=La Vanguardia |language=es}}
He has been heavily involved in festivities of the Hogueras de San Juan. Since 1995 he has been a member of the "barraca" Els Chuanos{{cite news|title=Ramón Marco pasa a formar parte de la popular barraca Els Chuanos|work=Diario Información|date=December 31, 1995|language=es}} (a social group that organizes activities during the event).{{Cite web|url=https://www.diarioinformacion.com/especiales/hogueras/2018/06/conoce-47-barracas-hogueras-alicante-n1499_1_44098.html|title=Conoce las 47 barracas de las Hogueras de Alicante 2018, Hogueras de Alicante 2018, INFORMACION|last=INFORMACION|website=www.diarioinformacion.com|language=es|access-date=2019-07-08}} In 1998 he became vice-secretary{{cite news|title=Els Chuanos presenta a su directiva a bordo de un barco|work=Diario Información|date=2 August 1998|language=es}} and in 2001 he became president of the barraca.{{cite news|title=Cena de Els Chuanos|work=Diario Información|date=16 June 2001|language=es}}{{Cite web|url=https://alicanteplaza.es/podem-culpa-a-echavarri-al-pspv-a-cs-y-a-la-transfuga-belmonte-del-retorno-del-pp-a-alicante|title=Podem culpa a Echávarri, al PSPV, a Cs y a la tránsfuga Belmonte del retorno del PP a Alicante|last=S.L|first=EDICIONES PLAZA|website=Alicanteplaza|language=es|access-date=2019-07-08}}
Political career
In 2005, Luis Barcala joined the executive committee of the People's Party (PP) of Alicante as secretary of Study and Programs.{{cite news|title=De España asume el control del PP en Alicante con un apoyo superior al 70%|work=Diario Información|date=19 April 2005|language=es}} In 2011, he became city councilor of Alicante after José Joaquín Ripoll resigned after being appointed president of the Port of Alicante.
In December 2013, he became councilor for Health and Environment in the administration of mayor Sonia Castedo. He resigned after the election of May 24th, 2015 when the Valencian Socialist Party (PSPV-PSOE), Guanyar Alacant (consisting of the United Left, Podemos, Green Party and the Socialist Alternative) and Compromis formed an alliance (holding 15 of 29 council seats) to remove the PP from the city government and made Gabriel Echávarri mayor.{{Cite web|url=https://www.diarioinformacion.com/alicante/2015/05/29/luis-barcala--descarta-/1638804.html|title=Luis Barcala descarta dimitir como presidente local y se postula para liderar la regeneración del PP|website=www.diarioinformacion.com|language=es|access-date=2019-07-09}}
= Mayor of Alicante =
On March 23, 2018, Gabriel Echávarri resigned after being indicted in several criminal cases, include allegations that he had fired the sister-in-law of Barcala in retaliation for the PP filing a criminal complain against him.{{Cite web|url=https://www.elmundo.es/comunidad-valenciana/alicante/2017/09/29/59ce1678268e3ece108b4601.html|title=La juez imputa al alcalde de Alicante por un presunto fraccionamiento de contratos|date=2017-09-29|website=ELMUNDO|language=es|access-date=2019-07-09}} PSPV-PSOE councilor Eva Montesinos became interim mayor, but city councilor Nerea Belmonte (who had previously been expelled from Podemos) abstained in the vote to confirm her.{{Cite news|url=https://elpais.com/ccaa/2018/04/20/valencia/1524237859_829359.html|title=Luis Barcala: "Espero que la Generalitat no dé la espalda a Alicante por el cambio político"|last=Sánchez|first=Manrique C.|date=2018-04-20|work=El País|access-date=2019-02-27|language=es|issn=1134-6582}} Since there was now no majority supporting an alternative candidate, Luis Barcala became mayor on April 19, 2018, as he had received the most seats in the 2015 election.{{Cite web|url=https://www.elconfidencial.com/espana/comunidad-valenciana/2018-04-19/pp-recupera-alicante-fracaso-psoe-transfuga-podemos_1552189/|title=El PP recupera Alicante al fracasar el pacto del PSOE con la tránsfuga de Podemos. Noticias de Comunidad Valenciana|date=2018-04-20|website=El Confidencial|language=es|access-date=2019-02-27}} There was an investigation into a possible attempt to bribe Nerea Belmonte to vote for Eva Montesinos,{{Cite web|url=https://www.europapress.es/comunitat-valenciana/noticia-fiscalia-llamara-declarar-nerea-belmonte-investigacion-supuesta-compra-voto-20180516164425.html|title=Fiscalía llamará a declarar a Nerea Belmonte en la investigación por la supuesta compra de su voto|date=2018-05-16|publisher=Europa Press|access-date=2019-07-09}} but the prosecutor closed the case due there being no evidence of a crime.{{Cite web|url=https://www.elmundo.es/comunidad-valenciana/alicante/2018/12/09/5c0bf98afdddffeeb78b463e.html|title=Nerea Belmonte, ¿caso cerrado?|date=2018-12-09|website=ELMUNDO|language=es|access-date=2019-07-09}}
In the local elections of May 26, 2019, Barcala's People's Party won the most seats in Alicante, but did not achieve an absolute majority. With the help of Citizens, he received 14 of 29 council votes and was re-elected, as none of the other parties were able to form an alternative majority coalition and voted for their own candidates.{{Cite web|url=https://alicantepress.com//art/43107/luis-barcala-es-elegido-alcalde-de-alicante-con-el-apoyo-de-cs|title=Luis Barcala es elegido alcalde de Alicante con el apoyo de Cs|last=A.P|first=AlicantePress EFE /|website=Alicante Press {{!}} Información sobre la actualidad de Alicante|language=es|access-date=2019-07-08}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.diarioinformacion.com/alicante/2019/06/15/luis-barcala-investido-alcalde-alicante/2159575.html|title=Barcala, reelegido alcalde de Alicante con el único apoyo de Ciudadanos|last=INFORMACION|website=www.diarioinformacion.com|language=es|access-date=2019-06-24}}
In 2023 local elections, with the collapse of Citizens, Barcala's People's Party increased their representation to 14 of 29 seats, allowing him to be reelected as mayor without the support from any coalition partners.{{Cite web |last=324cat |date=2023-06-17 |title=El PP enforteix el seu poder territorial al País Valencià i les Illes |url=https://www.ccma.cat/324/el-pp-enforteix-el-seu-poder-territorial-al-pais-valencia-i-les-illes/noticia/3235959/ |access-date=2023-06-22 |website=CCMA |language=ca}}{{Cite web |last=Pascual |first=C. |date=2023-05-28 |title=Resultado de las elecciones en Alicante: Barcala roza la mayoría absoluta |url=https://www.informacion.es/elecciones/municipales/alicante/2023/05/28/resultado-elecciones-alicante-2023-ganado-28-m-87912470.html |access-date=2023-08-22 |website=Información |language=es}}
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Barcala, Luis}}
Category:20th-century Spanish lawyers
Category:Mayors of places in the Valencian Community