María del Mar Dabán Aguayo, new provincial deputy for Employment in Álava

The General Deputy of Álava, Ramiro González Vicente, has dismissed Cristina González Calvar as Provincial Deputy for Employment, Trade, Tourism, and Provincial Administration at her own request and has appointed María del Mar Dabán Aguayo in her place. The decision is formalized in two provincial decrees published in the Official Gazette of the Historical Territory of Álava (BOTHA) number 124, corresponding to Wednesday, October 28, 2026, within section I, dedicated to the General Assemblies of Álava and the Provincial Administration.

The dismissal is recorded in Provincial Decree 167/2026, of October 20 (official reference 2026-03024), which expressly describes it as a dismissal “at her own request” and thanks the outgoing holder for “the services rendered to the Provincial Council and to the Historical Territory of Álava.” The replacement is implemented through Provincial Decree 169/2026, of October 21 (official reference 2026-03025), which appoints the new head of the department and modifies the structural decree of the legislature.

Resignation on October 16 and effects from the 21st

The chronology of the succession is established in the official text itself. Cristina González Calvar submitted her resignation from the position of provincial deputy to the general deputy on October 16, 2026, and the dismissal decree establishes that its effects occur “as of October 21, 2026,” the same day the appointment decree for her successor was signed.

Both resolutions are based on Article 15.1, sections d) and f), of Provincial Norm 10/2023, of March 15, on the government, organization, and legal regime of the Provincial Council of Álava, which grants the general deputy the power to appoint and dismiss provincial deputies and to assign them the leadership of the departments. The two decrees order their notification to the General Assemblies of Álava and their publication in the BOTHA, and appear signed in Vitoria-Gasteiz by the general deputy.

The complete, updated provincial organizational chart

Provincial Decree 169/2026 is not limited to the replacement in Employment: it rewrites the first enacting clause of Provincial Decree 153/2023, of June 30, to incorporate the modifications produced during the legislature and leave the list of holders with the following composition:

• Jon Nogales Prieto, Department of Sustainable Mobility and Road Infrastructure.
• Itziar Gonzalo de Zuazo, Department of Treasury, Finance and Budgets.
• Iñaki Gurtubai Artetxe, Department of Equality, Basque Language and Governance.
• Saray Zárate Fernández de Landa, Department of Economic Development and Sustainability.
• Gorka Urtaran Agirre, Department of Social Policies.
• María del Mar Dabán Aguayo, Department of Employment, Trade, Tourism and Provincial Administration.
• Laura Pérez Borinaga, Department of Territorial Balance and Land Use Planning.
• Noemí Aguirre Quintana, Department of Agriculture.
• Ana Del Val Sancho, Department of Culture and Sport.

The regulation recalls that the departmental structure for the 2023-2027 legislature was established by Provincial Decree 152/2023, of June 30, modified by Provincial Decree 78/2024, of June 28, and that the distribution of portfolios of Provincial Decree 153/2023 had already been corrected by Provincial Decree 156/2023, of July 4, and modified by Provincial Decree 172/2024, of November 27.

Change in the deputies of the General Deputy

The second of the changes affects the substitution of the general deputy. Until now, the first deputy position corresponded to the head of Employment, Trade, Tourism and Provincial Administration. The new text of the second provision reassigns it: the provincial deputy for Sustainable Mobility and Road Infrastructure will be the first deputy general deputy, and the provincial deputy for Treasury, Finance and Budgets will be the second deputy.

The decree justifies the global update of the organizational chart based on the appointments made during the mandate: Provincial Decrees 79/2024, of June 28, 139/2024, of October 11, and 172/2024, of November 27, designated new heads of Agriculture, Territorial Balance and Land Use Planning, and Equality, Basque Language and Governance, respectively.

The handover comes while the department is in full agreement activity: throughout 2026, the outgoing head signed agreements with the Official Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Álava, with IKASLAN ARABA, and with the Santa María la Real Foundation for Historical Heritage, among others, to promote employment and trade in the territory. The new provincial deputy thus assumes responsibility for active employment policies and the provincial administration in the final phase of the legislature, with the calendar of the next electoral appointment as a backdrop.

Source: Official Gazette of the Historical Territory of Álava, no. 124, October 28, 2026, section I – General Assemblies of Álava and Provincial Administration, pp. 1-2 (official references: 2026-03024 and 2026-03025).