The Provincial Council appoints the management commission of Urabain and unblocks the council

The Provincial Government Council of Álava approved Agreement 734/2026 on November 3, designating all members of the Urabain Management Commission, the council of the municipality of Asparrena, whose administrative board had been vacant since February. The decision is published in the Official Gazette of the Historical Territory of Álava (BOTHA) number 130, dated November 11, 2026, in section I, under the heading of agreements of the Provincial Government Council.

Three vacancies without elected replacements

The origin of the conflict dates back to February 13, 2026, when the Electoral Board of the Historical Territory of Álava notified the Provincial Council of the existence of three vacancies on the Administrative Board of Urabain, caused by the resignations of those holding the positions:

• Eduardo Urteaga Díaz de Garayo, until then president.
• Iñaki Urteaga Díaz de Garayo, first member.
• Judith Soto Rodríguez, second member.

None of the vacancies could be filled through ordinary channels, as there were no elected substitute persons. Given this situation, the Electoral Board requested the Provincial Council of Álava to establish a management commission, composed of all members of the electorate who were not subject to the causes of ineligibility and incompatibility under Article 11 of Provincial Regulation 17/2026, of July 10, on Councils of the Historical Territory of Álava.

The Provincial Council took the first step through Provincial Order 118/2026, of March 2, issued by the provincial deputy for Territorial Balance and Territorial Planning, which requested the administrative board of Urabain to propose names to fill the positions, in accordance with the second paragraph of Article 24 of the provincial regulation.

The outgoing board refuses to convene and Asparrena intervenes

That request did not succeed. According to the agreement, the outgoing administrative board maintained a “repeated refusal” to convene a neighborhood assembly, which forced a solution to be sought through another administration. The Provincial Council then requested the collaboration of the Asparrena City Council, under the principle of cooperation between public administrations set forth in Article 3.1.k) of Law 40/2015, of October 1, on the Legal Regime of the Public Sector.

The objective was for the municipal secretariat to provide the necessary assistance to convene a neighborhood assembly “with sufficient legal guarantees” and thus formulate the proposal of persons for the vacant positions. The management was successful: a certificate from the corporation’s secretariat, dated October 7, 2026, and submitted to the Provincial Council on October 16, certifies that the neighborhood assembly of the Council of Urabain, meeting on October 7, 2026, agreed by absolute majority on the three names that are now ratified.

The three designated members

Paragraph three of Article 24 of Foral Standard 17/2026 establishes that, upon receipt of the proposal, a resolution shall be issued appointing the residents according to the order of precedence. The distribution of positions is as follows:

• Presidency: Alazne Jiménez de Vicuña Calvo.
• 1st Member: Víctor Jiménez de Vicuña Calvo.
• 2nd Member: Nahia Jiménez de Vicuña Calvo.

The department’s competence for the management and appointment of management commissions derives from Foral Decree 1/2024, of January 30, on organic structure, and Foral Decree 152/2023, of June 30, which establishes the foral departments for the 2023-2027 legislature. The agreement was adopted by virtue of Article 8.2.a) in relation to Article 24.5 of Foral Standard 10/2023, of March 15, on the government, organization, and legal regime of the Foral Council of Álava, and is signed by the General Deputy, Ramiro González Vicente, the Foral Deputy Laura Pérez Borinaga, and the Director of Territorial Balance, Javier Gorbeña García.

Publication, notifications, and appeal process

The agreement orders the publication of the text in the BOTHA and the notification thereof to the Concejo de Urabain, the City Council of Asparrena, and the Electoral Board of the Historical Territory of Álava. The text exhausts all administrative remedies; therefore, a contentious-administrative appeal may be filed before the corresponding jurisdiction within two months from the day following notification, in accordance with Article 46 of Law 29/1998, of July 13, regulating the Contentious-Administrative Jurisdiction, without prejudice to the optional prior request.

Why it matters

The appointment restores decision-making capacity to a council of barely a hundred residents that has remained for months without its own governing body, with ordinary services and agreements suspended. The formula applied—neighborhood assembly with municipal assistance and foral ratification—also sets a precedent for other Álava councils facing vacancies without elected substitutes and resistance from an outgoing board to convene the residents.

Source: BOTHA, no. 130, November 11, 2026, section I (Agreements of the Foral Government Council), p. 1 (official reference: Agreement 734/2026).