Ana Mestre relieves Jesús Aguirre at the head of the Andalusian Parliament and Vox takes over the First Vice-Presidency

Ana Mestre has been elected this Thursday new president of the Parliament of Andalusia with 65 votes from the PP and Vox. The deputy for Cádiz replaces Jesús Aguirre, who has resigned from the Presidency to join the Senate as a representative of the autonomous community.

PSOE-A, Por Andalucía and Adelante Andalucía have cast 41 blank ballots. The vote has placed Mestre at the head of the community's second institution just weeks after the beginning of the XIII legislature.

The 45-year-old leader from Jerez becomes the fourth woman to preside over the Andalusian Parliament and the first belonging to the PP. Previously, the socialists Mar Moreno and Fuensanta Coves and the then Ciudadanos deputy Marta Bosquet held the position.

A handover linked to the government agreement

Aguirre's departure and Mestre's ascent are part of the institutional reorganization agreed between the Andalusian PP and the far-right Vox. The pact that allowed Juanma Moreno's investiture reserved the first Vice-Presidency of the Bureau for the far-right formation, a position that Mestre had occupied during the previous legislature and since the constitution of the new Chamber.

Cristina Peláez has been elected first vice-president with the same 65 votes from PP and Vox. The Sevillian deputy replaces Beatriz Sánchez as candidate, who until now represented the far-right group on the Bureau with a voice, although she lacked voting capacity.

The new composition keeps Fernando López Gil, from the PSOE, as second vice-president and the popular Manuel Andrés González as third vice-president. José Ramón Carmona continues as first secretary, Olga Manzano as second secretary and Ignacio Romaní has assumed the third secretariat.

The move allows Vox to participate directly in the decisions of the body that orders parliamentary work, qualifies initiatives and organizes much of the Chamber's activity. Santiago Abascal's formation thus gains voting capacity on the Bureau after having initially been left out of its distribution.

A career linked to Cádiz and the Andalusian PP

Born in Jerez de la Frontera in 1981, Mestre has developed much of her political career in the province of Cádiz. She was a councilwoman of the City Council of the capital during the governments of Teófila Martínez, provincial deputy and candidate for mayor of Sanlúcar de Barrameda.

She has also served as delegate of the Andalusian Government in Cádiz and as vicesecretary of the PP of Andalusia within Juanma Moreno's team. During the last four years, she has held the First Vice-Presidency of Parliament, from which she has regularly participated in the direction of plenary sessions and in the internal bodies of the Chamber.

Before her election, Mestre dedicated a few words of recognition to Jesús Aguirre for his work at the head of the institution. She highlighted his ability to de-escalate moments of tension, his treatment of Parliament workers, and his commitment to bringing the Chamber closer to the citizenry. "We will never forget him because that way of presiding over this Chamber leaves a mark," said the new president, who defined her predecessor as a person capable of "making the difficult easy".

Aguirre leaves Parliament and moves to the Senate

Jesús Aguirre thanked the support received during his four years as president and apologized for any possible errors committed in the exercise of his office. The former Minister of Health defended dialogue and consensus as basic elements of parliamentary life.

"Discrepancy is part of democracy", he stated before committing to defend the interests of Andalusia "hammer and tongs" in his new stage as an autonomous senator.

The Plenary also appointed Javier Arenas, Francisco Javier Oblaré, and Virginia Pérez at the proposal of the PP. The PSOE has placed María Jesús Montero, Susana Díaz, and Juan Espadas in the Upper House, while Vox has promoted Álvaro Zancajo and María Auxiliadora Pastor.

A debut with the socialist bench outside the hemicycle

Mestre's first day ended with a clash between the Presidency and the Socialist Group. The tension arose during the appearance of the Minister of the Presidency, Health, and Emergencies, Antonio Sanz, regarding the Los Gallardos fire, which caused 13 deaths.

Sanz has stated that sometimes "it seems" that the opposition wishes for fires to occur to then demand accountability from the Andalusian Government. The PSOE has considered that these words damaged the dignity of the group and has requested a turn to respond. Mestre has refused to grant it, understanding that the counselor had not made a direct allusion. The socialist deputies, led by María Jesús Montero, then left the plenary hall while the new president delivered her first institutional speech.

From the rostrum, Mestre has defended a Chamber where disagreement coexists with respect and has warned deputies that "every word spoken here has consequences". She then adjourned the session appealing to dialogue and parliamentary education.