María delegates the celebration of civil marriages to Carmen Beteta

The María City Council has delegated to Councilor Carmen Beteta Martínez the authority to perform civil marriages, according to Mayoral Decree no. 343, dated July 24, 2026. The agreement, adopted by the Mayor-President José Antonio García Alcaina, was made public via an announcement in the Official Gazette of the Province of Almería number 161, dated August 21, 2026, on page 14.

The delegation represents a change in attribution for wedding procedures in the municipality, which from now on may be officiated by the delegated councilor instead of the Mayor’s Office itself. The announcement is published in compliance with Article 44 of the Regulations on organization, operation, and legal regime of Local Entities, approved by Royal Decree 2568/1986, of November 28, which requires the public disclosure of the delegation of powers.

Scope of the delegation

The resolution transfers to Councilor Carmen Beteta Martínez the power to perform civil marriages in the municipality, a competence that generally corresponds to the Mayor’s Office. With this measure, the María City Council assigns to the councilor the processing and celebration of civil unions formalized within the municipal district.

The administrative act, which exhausts administrative remedies, is recorded in file 2187/26 of the provincial gazette, under the Local Administration section.

Appeals and deadlines

Against the resolution, interested parties may exercise the following means of challenge:

• Optional appeal for reversal (recurso de reposición) before the Mayor’s Office of the María City Council, within a period of one month from the day following the publication of the announcement, in accordance with Articles 123 and 124 of Law 39/2015, of October 1, on Common Administrative Procedure.
• Contentious-administrative appeal before the Contentious-Administrative Section of the Court of First Instance of Almería, within a period of two months, in accordance with Article 46 of Law 29/1998, of July 13, on Contentious-Administrative Jurisdiction.

If the appeal for reversal is chosen, the contentious-administrative appeal may not be filed until the former is expressly resolved or dismissed by administrative silence, without prejudice to any other appeal that the interested party deems appropriate.

Relevance for the municipality

The delegation streamlines the management of civil marriages in María by bringing the processing closer to the delegated council office, a change that directly affects couples wishing to marry in the municipality. Publication in the official gazette ensures the transparency of the agreement and the calculation of appeal deadlines, providing legal certainty to both the administration and the affected citizens.

Source: Official Gazette of the Province of Almería, number 161, August 21, 2026, Local Administration section, page 14 (official reference: Mayoral Decree no. 343/2026, file 2187/26).