The merger process between the Extremaduran towns of Don Benito (37,3120 inhabitants) and Villanueva de la Serena (25,837) have taken another step this Friday towards their official merger, which is scheduled to take place in the first quarter of 2027. They have done it this Friday officially through a protocol that is not an agreement and its convenient administrative file, as had been agreed at the beginning of this complex and controversial process that will lead to the third population in terms of number of inhabitants of Extremadura, with a population close to 63,000 residents. The new nucleus will bear the name of Vegas Altas, the same name as a district of Navalvillar de Pela (Badajoz), just 42 kilometers away and in the same region of influence.

The firm’s notary has been the Minister of Territorial Policy and government spokesperson, Isabel Rodríguez, who has stressed that the central government “was aware of the importance of this project from minute one”, mainly due to the “drive and enthusiasm” with which the two mayors and the president of the Board, Guillermo Fernández Vara, also present at the event, defended him: “It is an absolutely inspiring project for the whole of Spain,” he assured.

The problem is that until not too many months ago this merger was unanimously supported by all the political parties, but numerous cracks have occurred along the way, either due to the controversial consultation process that was carried out with the residents of both towns on February 20 of last year, to which the different proposals for the new name were later added (the selected experts first chose Mestas del Guadiana and Concordia del Guadiana, which were rejected by public opinion). And all under criticism for the ways in which it has derived from the process, without giving public participation to the opponents of the merger.

In this sense, the Popular Party -which supported the union from the outset- has expressed its protest because the protocol signed today has not gone through both plenary sessions before to know its details and agree on it, as the mayors José Luis Quintana promised (Don Benito) and Miguel Ángel Gallardo (Villanueva de la Serena). Thus, the spokesman for the popular dombenitenses, Ángel Valadés, has considered that “the merger draft should already be known in advance by the political forces and the citizens”, for which he has criticized that “the mayors manage the deadlines at will, without consulting the political groups and without the citizens”.

In the previous official documents prepared for the merger process by both municipalities, it was stated verbatim that “the administrative file will begin by agreement of the respective municipalities, through the approval of the merger agreement by a simple majority of each of the Plenary Sessions of the municipalities to merge” and added that “the merger agreement constitutes the true keystone of the identity unity process, insofar as it constitutes the instrument that allows planning, developing and executing each and every one of the precise administrative actions, to which we We will refer later.”

All this, less than three months before the municipal elections. “The people of Dombenitense must know the clauses of this pre-contract before going to the polls on May 28,” declared María Fernanda Sánchez, the candidate for ‘Siempre Don Benito’, the social group opposed to the merger and who He is going to present to these elections and that he considers that today’s signature is “pure smoke” so as not to teach what they committed to, the protocol of action, until after the elections. In her opinion, “the signing of this protocol is the umpteenth example of a lack of transparency in everything that surrounds the merger process. The mayors had announced large investments linked to the merger, but they have not explained any.”

According to a study by the University of Extremadura, an increase of 2.5% in the income of households in the new city is estimated; a positive impact on employment between 5% and 15%; 15% growth in the number of companies and 1.5 million euros more in contribution from the State budget. The study points out that the new city would generate 11.2% of the province’s GDP and that it would also be the first town in Extremadura in agricultural and livestock production (19.7%) and in industry (8.1%). and the second commercial nucleus (16%) and a rise in the population with university studies of 5%. In addition, a unique urban transport network will be created that will count, as has been assured, with an investment of 2,520,000 euros from the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda.

At today’s event, the president of the Board, Guillermo Fernández Vara, assured that, according to the Extremaduran president, “the normal thing is to get carried away by localisms, by borders, to get carried away by disagreements, this is not normal “, therefore it has considered that this merger process “has been very good for Spain, and in the case of Extremadura it has been the main reputational factor, without a doubt, in recent years.” Meanwhile, the mayor of Don Benito, José Luis Quintana, has described this day as a “historic day and therefore very happy”, after which he has highlighted that with the signing of this protocol “a sometimes unknown race” begins. , with which they are “working to give opportunities to the following generations”. And the one from Villanueva, Miguel Ángel Gallardo, has described this day as a “historic day and therefore very happy”, after which he has highlighted that with the signing of this protocol “a sometimes unknown race” begins, with the that “work is being done to give opportunities to the following generations”.

The Don Benito-Villanueva employment center has been the place selected to host this act of signing the protocol in which it is detailed that the Ministries of Territorial Policy, Culture and Sports have participated; Justice; Transport, Mobility and the Urban Agenda; and Treasury and Public Function.

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