Badajoz, 22 October 2026 — Margarita de la Fuente Gómez has taken up her seat in the plenary session of the Ayuntamiento de Badajoz as a councillor for the PSOE She takes over the seat from Ricardo Cabezas, who resigned his council seat in September 2026. The swearing-in took place in the presence of the mayor, Ignacio Gragera; the appointment certificate for the successor, issued by the competent Junta Electoral , provided the legal basis.
The personnel change stems from developments in the legal case concerning the award of a post at the Diputación de Badajoz. The Sección Primera of the Audiencia Provincial de Badajoz issued a ruling in this connection on 14 July 2026 and published a clarification in September regarding the penalties of special disqualification from public office. The case involved, among others, David Sánchez, the brother of Spain’s prime minister. Ricardo Cabezas cited the consequences of these developments as the reason for resigning from his posts in the Diputación and the Ayuntamiento de Badajoz. According to those involved, whether the judgments are already final and what administrative consequences they have for the individuals concerned will depend on pending appeals and administrative findings.
With De la Fuente taking over, the distribution of seats on Badajoz City Council remains unchanged; this is a personnel rotation within the PSOE group. After being sworn in, the new councillor announced that she would continue the opposition’s work at the town hall. She did not initially identify any specific policy priorities. The change comes at a time when the Socialists are dealing with the political repercussions of the staffing affair at the Diputación de Badajoz at both local and provincial level.
In Spain, vacant council seats are formally filled according to the order of candidates on the relevant electoral list. Once the appointment has been confirmed by the competent Junta Electoral, it is announced at a plenary session and the oath or pledge of office is taken. Today’s decision continues this process in Badajoz and fills the vacancy created by Ricardo Cabezas’s resignation.
The city administration said that ongoing council business would continue as planned. For further political comment, Mayor Ignacio Gragera referred to the responsibility of the political groups. The PSOE in Badajoz said it would carry out its opposition role in the Ayuntamiento de Badajoz “with institutional normality”.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).