Rebeca Pérez to replace late José Ballesta as Murcia's first female mayor

Rebeca Pérez said on Thursday that she will become mayor of Murcia on May 22, days after the death of Mayor José Ballesta, a fellow member of Spain’s conservative Popular Party. Pérez has been serving as acting mayor since Ballesta died on May 10 after what Spanish media and municipal statements described as a long illness. Her appointment will make her the first woman to lead Murcia’s city hall, according to Spanish media reports and her own comments to reporters. Murcia has spent the week in official mourning, with a public wake and funeral for Ballesta in the city’s cathedral. ### When will Rebeca Pérez formally take office? May 22 is the date Pérez gave for the handover when reporters asked whether she would be the next mayor. “Sí, se lo confirmo,” she said at a press conference, according to Europa Press. El País reported that Pérez said she would take the ceremonial staff of office that day. (europapress.es) Murcia’s city council has already scheduled a series of plenary sessions in May. A municipal notice said one extraordinary session on May 15 would formally take note of Ballesta’s death, and that there would be three plenary meetings this month. The council’s website says plenary sessions are the municipality’s top political decision-making body. (europapress.es) ### Why is Pérez already acting as mayor? Rebeca Pérez was serving as Murcia’s deputy mayor before Ballesta’s death. Spanish media and municipal coverage identified her this week as acting mayor as the city opened Ballesta’s lying in state and received mourners at city hall. (murcia.es) José Ballesta died on May 10 at age 67, according to EFE and municipal statements carried by Spanish media. El País reported that he had been undergoing treatment for colon cancer for two years and had remained active in office until days before his death. ### What did Pérez say about the transition? “Los murcianos necesitan certezas y no hay mayor certeza que sepan que su Ayuntamiento está en manos del equipo de Ballesta,” Pérez said, according to Europa Press. (europapress.es) Her remarks framed the succession as continuity for the municipal government assembled by Ballesta after the 2023 local elections. (efe.com) The Popular Party has not, in the reporting reviewed, presented the move as a broader political reset. El País said Pérez did not say whether she would remain the party’s candidate for the 2027 municipal election. ### What happened in Murcia after Ballesta’s death? (europapress.es) Murcia declared three days of official mourning after Ballesta’s death, according to a city hall notice. The city opened a public wake in the plenary chamber on May 11 and held a funeral Mass in the Cathedral of Santa María on May 12. (elpais.com) Thousands of residents and a broad group of public officials attended the funeral, Europa Press reported. Among those present were regional president Fernando López Miras and Popular Party leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo, who described Ballesta as “un modelo a seguir y una fuente de inspiración.” (murcia.es) ### Why is this appointment notable in Murcia? Murcia has not previously had a woman mayor, according to reporting by El País and Europa Press. Pérez was also identified in 2023 as the municipality’s first female deputy mayor when Ballesta presented his new governing team. (europapress.es) The next formal step is expected on May 22, when Murcia’s council is due to complete the succession and Pérez is expected to assume the mayoralty. The city’s plenary proceedings are published through the municipal website. (elpais.com)