The mayor of Seville, José Luis Sanz, participated in Santiago de Compostela in the presentation of the 52 PP candidates for the capitals. There, he highlighted the 7,000 affordable homes promoted by his government and called for more infrastructure from Feijóo.
The mayor of Seville, José Luis Sanz, took the opportunity during his speech at the presentation of the PP candidates for the provincial capitals to highlight the municipal management in housing. During his address in Santiago de Compostela, the mayor emphasized that his government has launched more than 7,000 official protected homes, of which over 2,700 are directly promoted by the municipal company Emvisesa.
From 83 to 7,000 affordable homes: the contrast with the socialist era
Sanz wanted to distance himself from the previous socialist government. As he recalled, between 2015 and 2023, in eight years, the Seville City Council barely built 83 protected homes, “and they didn't even have time to deliver them all, they were caught off guard,” he quipped. In contrast to that figure, the current local government has promoted a volume of affordable homes that, according to the mayor, makes Seville “the Andalusian capital of protected housing”.
The mayor invited attendees to visit the city to experience “the dynamically modern Seville,” in contrast to the image of a “totally abandoned, blocked, and paralyzed city” that, in his view, was left by the previous government. These statements come just over a month before the municipal elections on May 23, in which Sanz hopes to be re-elected.
A nod to Feijóo to “return the infrastructure”
The mayor's speech was not limited to housing. Sanz took advantage of the presence of the national PP leader, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, to demand a greater commitment to the Andalusian capital regarding infrastructure. “Seville is advancing, but the infrastructure deficit hinders that progress,” he noted, before asking Feijóo that when he reaches Moncloa, “you be the president who returns to Seville the infrastructure that Seville needs.”
The mayor did not specify which concrete projects he feels are lacking, but the demand is part of a long-standing claim from the city for works such as the underground AVE rail line through the city, improvements to the railway connection with the airport, or the duplication of the SE-40. The request, made at a national event, aims to place Seville on the priority map of a hypothetical Feijóo government.
“Meanwhile, the Popular Party will continue to work to make us the best city in the world to live in, to visit, to work, and to invest,” concluded José Luis Sanz.
An event to unify the PP's message ahead of May
The presentation of the 52 candidates for the provincial capitals in Santiago de Compostela served the PP to showcase the unity of the party ahead of the municipal elections. Sanz was one of the mayors with the most weight at the event, alongside the mayors of Madrid, Barcelona, and Valencia. His speech aimed to project an image of effective management and territorial claims, in line with Feijóo's discourse.
For the people of Seville, Sanz's message has a double edge: on one hand, the promise of more public housing may alleviate the difficulties of accessing housing in the city, where prices have skyrocketed; on the other, the demand for infrastructure highlights deficiencies affecting the mobility and connectivity of the capital. The mayor, who aspires to a second term, has made it clear that his project is to “be the best city in the world”, although he needs the support of Moncloa to achieve this.
The elections on May 23 will decide whether Sanz can continue promoting those 7,000 affordable homes and whether his demand to Feijóo becomes a reality. In the meantime, the mayor concluded his speech with an optimistic message: “Seville is on the move.”
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