Antonio Muñoz: "Many of the Sevillians who voted for Juanma Moreno will now vote for me"

He has tried to ensure that the debate on national politics does not contaminate his campaign too much. But recognize that it is not possible to isolate yourself completely. He has to defend a symbolic square of this 28-M, because Seville has become one of the thermometers to make the global balance of the municipal ones and perhaps predict what can happen in the next general ones.

Does the presence of Pedro Sánchez in his campaign add or subtract? Pedro Sánchez is the Prime Minister who has financed line 3 of the metro with 650 million euros. The one who has approved the tender for the reform of the Archaeological Museum that we have been waiting for decades. Or the one who made the decision to install the Spanish Space Agency in Seville. I think that, beyond the increase in the interprofessional minimum wage or the revaluation of pensions, in terms of investments in Seville it has a positive balance to present. So, why are the acronyms of the PSOE hidden on its poster? Look, everything the world knows in Seville that Antonio Muñoz is the candidate of the PSOE. Has not Pedro Sánchez come to support the mayor of the largest capital of Spain governed by the PSOE? What would have been said if he had not done it then? I insist: With the positive balance that the Government of Spain has in Seville, why should it hide anything? Perhaps due to the deterioration of the PSOE brand due to its parliamentary alliances. national debate. Now, what I am trying to do in this campaign is to talk about Seville, because it has an entity as the capital of Andalusia, because it is the third largest metropolitan area in Spain.. And it deserves its own debate around its problems and the exciting projects that it has pending. We cannot hijack the debate around Seville to continue talking about the yes-is-yes law or the Bildu lists. And I have great confidence in the democratic maturity of the people when it comes to discerning. It is time to discuss the issues of the closest policy. The time will come to evaluate, to take stock of the Government of Spain. Let's talk about Seville, therefore. Why do you demand a capital law? What benefits or what privileges are you looking for with this rule? Seville is the capital of Andalusia because the Statute of Autonomy says so. It is not a law against any other Andalusian city or to establish comparative grievances. In addition, other capitals already have it, such as Madrid and Barcelona or Zaragoza. Being a capital supposes singularities that have weight in the municipal budget and requires extraordinary financing.P. The mayor of Málaga says with a certain rebuke that, if it is so expensive for Seville, that the capital should be moved to Málaga, that not only do they not ask for anything in return but they would pay for it. Don't you think that a demand for more financing can increase the detachment of the easternmost Andalusia? We have been with these prejudices for 20 or 30 years and the result has been that we have been punished in investments. Look, with the Government of Rajoy, Seville came to be in 30th place in the distribution of investments per inhabitant. And also the Junta de Andalucía has delayed investments that corresponded to Seville. And I'm talking about socialist governments. On the struggle with Malaga. You have accused the Junta of favoring Malaga in the negotiations to establish an air connection with New York. Wouldn't Seville also benefit from these flights? For me neither Malaga nor any other Andalusian city is in direct competition with Seville. I find it very stupid to understand it like that. And I don't say it from arrogance but from the conviction that we all win if we cooperate. In fact, we have a project called Andalucía Soul, in which Málaga, Granada, Córdoba and Seville participate, to jointly promote these destinations in long-distance markets, especially in the United States and Asia.. Málaga airport is an entrance for international tourism from Seville, of course it is, but I admit that this issue has startled me a little more than usual because it seemed very strange to us that the company with which we had been working for months changed its decision in four days. And we believe that it has to do with the incentives that were put on the table at the last minute.. And who put those incentives? Who put the money on the table? Did the Junta de Andalucía put it? I cannot accuse anyone. The president of the Junta told me that it was not the Andalusian government and I believe him. You recognize that Seville has two important problems: the lack of efficient public transport and cleanliness. Isn't that admitting your own failure? You have governed for eight years. I am aware that there is a citizen demand to improve cleanliness in the city. And I think I have an accurate diagnosis to solve it. By the way, it is a common problem in many big cities. In Seville we live a lot on the street. It doesn't rain as much here as in some European capitals and we have many events. In addition, in recent years the city has grown and Lipasam's workforce has been reduced. Look, with the absolute majority of Juan Ignacio Zoido (PP), the workforce was reduced by 250 positions. I have incorporated approximately 126 workers and I have to continue expanding staff. And I don't want the headline to be that Seville is dirty because of a mayor from 8 years ago. But you have to know where we come from. And ask for more citizen collaboration. How many more years will we have to wait for Seville to have a metro network? Now the projects are underway. We have a first stone for a new metro line after 14 years. And we have the tram extension works and the projects tendered for the Seville East tram. They are no longer just toasts to the sun, they are ongoing projects. Last week the TSJA agreed with the Cádiz City Council and recognized its powers to limit tourist apartments. The Board also appealed its regulations to Seville. In fact, the initiative of Cádiz was inspired by ours, which was earlier. We have modified the PGOU so that tourist housing is asked to meet the same urban planning requirements as a hotel, a hostel or a pension. We hope that the TSJA fails in the same sense as in Cádiz, because it will be an important advance to stop this phenomenon. Now, what we are all waiting for is a decree from the Andalusian government that prevents giving more licenses in stressed areas, which are those in which there are already more tourist apartments than residential apartments.. And it is also necessary to establish a tourist tax that helps us finance investments for the city. Only in the Balearic Islands and in Catalonia does a tourist tax work because they have regional laws that protect it. The Andalusian government has spoken out against it and it is difficult to understand. Because no one stops going to Venice, to Florence, to Porto for not paying the tourist tax. We have asked the Ministry for a modification of the Local Finance Law to incorporate it as a local tax. There are more and more municipalities of different political sign that are favorable to tourist taxation. But no law will force any council. Those who do not want to, should not apply it in their city. By the way, the WHO has decreed the end of the pandemic. When are you going to rein in the bars with the terraces and nightstands? Well, for next year. The waters have to return to their place. Once again, the INE places two neighborhoods in Seville at the head of the poorest in Spain. And we have the oldest shanty town in Europe, in the Vacie. The Vacie has not been eradicated already for the two years that we have lost due to the pandemic. But I can assure you that before the middle of the next term it will be dismantled. However, the situation of neighborhoods in need of social transformation is more complex because interventions from all administrations and on a continuous basis. If not, we will only be putting band-aids. Chaves Nogales said that “Seville is a city of conservative tastes, but at the same time possible and friendly”. Do you feel you are a benchmark for the LGTBI collective for having normalized the presence of your husband in events linked to the most rancid and traditional Seville? This city is much more complex than that duality to which we strive to reduce it between modernity and tradition. I have only perceived normality and tolerance. I am not trying to become an example of anything or practice anything, but to treat these issues with absolute normality. All the polls speak of a technical draw in Seville. The thermometer of the street tells me that I am going to be mayor of Seville again. I think that many Sevillians who voted for Moreno Bonilla in the autonomic elections of 2022 are going to vote for me now. Because political maturity consists in that: knowing how to distinguish and vote differently in different calls. I believe that Seville is now in a special moment, which it had not had for decades, decades, decades. Seville is launched and we do not need any change to stop or slow down that inertia. People see, on the other hand, that this is a mayor who claims to the Government of Spain and the Government of the Board. But he is also capable of reaching agreements with the Government of Spain and the Government of the Junta de Andalucía. This cannot be said by all the candidates.