The Illa Government accumulates a series of dismissals and resignations of senior officials in key departments

Just 15 days after the inauguration, President Salvador Illa faced his first controversy, which arose from the appointment of Alfons Jiménez as Chief of Staff of the Department of Territory, who is the partner of the department’s minister and government spokesperson, Sílvia Paneque. The accusations of nepotism that the first non-independent Catalan government in more than a decade received were not the best introduction, which led to his replacement.

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That way of starting, with a resignation, has been repeated frequently, perhaps more than usual, during the two years of the mandate. About ten senior government officials, the last being Major Trapero, have resigned or been dismissed, mostly “for personal reasons,” a claim used to cover various reasons that give the impression that public leadership has ceased to be such an attractive professional refuge.

He was the first resignation of Salvador Illa’s government, just ten days after the legislature began. He resigned following the controversy generated by being the partner of the department’s minister, Sílvia Paneque. Although the government always defended the appointment, in his resignation, Jiménez made it clear that the accusations of nepotism, especially from Junts, “only have the intention of certain individuals and political organizations to harm the government.”

The most important replacement the socialist government has had to face so far is that of the minister of one of the most thorny departments, which was hit by a sudden controversy regarding cases of sexual abuse during the reception of immigrant minors in Catalonia and the additional resources provided to the entities that carry out this reception. Former minister Bravo, despite her excellent resume, accepted the position reluctantly because it forced her to leave her family in Madrid. Bravo had to face inherited problems and promoted the restructuring of the Directorate General for the Prevention and Protection of Childhood and Adolescence (DGAIA), but left the position before summer to resume her professional and family life in Madrid. Government sources say the decision was agreed upon in advance with the president.

During her management of the ministry, Martínez Bravo did not hesitate to dismiss those responsible for the entity in charge of public care for minors. Thus, just six months after her appointment, the former minister abruptly dismissed the director general of DGAIA and the deputy director, Joan Mayoral. According to the ministry itself, the intention was to have a “more managerial” profile for both positions.

The resignation of Trapero this Wednesday is the second resignation in the department led by Minister Núria Parlon in one week. After the summer break, the resignation of the ministry’s number two became known; he left the position to return as a civil servant to the Santa Coloma de Gramenet City Council, from where he had left to join the current minister’s team. He was replaced by Joana Ricardo Hoyos, current director general of Security Administration. The two resignations send a worrying message about this department, which is responsible for citizen security and has recently been criticized for the rise in firearm crimes in the streets.

Another department of the government facing major problems is undoubtedly Education, led by Esther Niubó. The minister faces a problematic management due to the labor conflict posed by teachers through the main sector union, Ustec, as well as the drama of Catalonia’s academic performance results in the PISA report. Added to this was the error in the tests conducted this year in Catalonia to prepare this report, which cost the number two of the department her position and led to the opening of three internal disciplinary proceedings.

According to Niubó, the dismissal responds to the need for a “new stage” in the ministry’s fate, but the minister admitted that the error regarding PISA, which left Catalonia out of the OECD study, could be the “trigger” for the “functioning” problems in the department. Along with the dismissal, Niubó opened three disciplinary proceedings against two civil servants and a senior official.

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Although Rosón joined the Department of Economy with the mission of participating in the deployment of the special financing agreed between the PSC and ERC, barely a year after taking office he resigned. In his last month in office, the former official shared responsibilities with Santiago Ramon Arizón, appointed by the government as commissioner for the deployment of Catalan finance. Moreover, Rosón’s resignation occurred at a time when the calendar and details of future tax collection in Catalonia, such as the IRPF, were being reconsidered and postponed beyond 2028.

Shortly after the government took office, the person responsible for a key position in the government’s relations with the central government also resigned “for personal reasons.” Eva Torras was appointed in 2023, under Pere Aragonès’ government, so her replacement at the head of a deputy directorate under the Department of the Presidency, dependent on the Directorate General of Interdepartmental Coordination, led by former deputy and councilor Mònica Lafuente, was foreseeable. The deputy director’s duties included preparing bilateral commissions with the State and supporting the processes of transferring functions and powers from the State to the Generalitat.

This official, also dependent on Esther Niubó’s ministry, resigned in October 2025 also “at her own request.” Andreu led this directorate from September 2024 in a prelude to the structural and organizational problems of the department that later exploded with the PISA report crisis.

Dismissals and resignations have been almost constant in Illa’s government, but the Catalan executive insists on downplaying the quantity and significance of the changes. The socialist government recalls that upon arriving, it had to configure a body of approximately 170 senior officials after the ERC period in government. At the level of general directors, territorial delegates, and equivalents, the volume of dismissals exceeded 95 positions in the Official Gazette of the Generalitat (DOGC) between August and the end of 2024. Choosing good leaders who fulfill their responsibilities in the public sphere is not easy, according to sources from the Catalan government consulted.

“It is not easy, and not everyone is suitable or willing to work in public administration,” they summarize, citing working conditions (degree of responsibility, remuneration, and availability) that often do not compensate compared to what is offered in the private sector.

The difficulties Illa’s government had in renewing its sub-government were reflected in the fact that about 50 technical directors who worked in the ERC government temporarily remained in Illa’s government for a few months to avoid administrative paralysis. All were dismissed gradually in subsequent months.

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