Juan Carlos Morejón takes over as mayor while the ordinary council meeting scheduled for this Thursday is postponed: the initial reason given was «force majeure», which was finally officially stated to be the absence of several councillors. This newsroom has learned that these absences coincide with a cruise organised by the Resident Foreigners department, which takes place precisely between 27 September and 4 October, the same dates on which Morejón will hold the office of mayor.
The official reason: absence of the mayor and several councillors
Decree 1779/2026, signed on 26 September, delegates to the first deputy mayor, Juan Carlos Morejón, all the powers of the mayor’s office between 27 September and 4 October, both inclusive.
The document justifies the measure by the need to guarantee «the continuity of the government and administration of the Town Hall», as well as institutional representation during the mayor’s absence.
At the same time, the proposal to modify the date of the ordinary October council meeting, which was initially announced as including an item on penalties for the cleaning company, states that the session is postponed to 5 October because of the absence from the municipality of several councillors of the Municipal Corporation, and that the item on the penalties would have to be delayed even further, pending the next extraordinary council meeting, in order to meet the deadlines for possible objections from the contracted company.
The coincidence with a trip to the Norwegian fjords
According to information known to this newsroom, these absences coincide with a cruise to the Norwegian fjords organised by the Resident Foreigners department, a municipal area headed by Agustín Vargas himself.
The poster for the trip announced a departure from 27 September to 4 October 2026, exactly the same period set out in the decree delegating the mayor’s office that gives Morejón the temporary mayoralty.
The trip programme includes:
- Transfers Manilva–Málaga Airport–Manilva.
- Direct flight Málaga–Copenhagen–Málaga.
- 8-day, 7-night cruise aboard the MSC Euribia.
- Full board and drinks package.
- Travel insurance with cancellation cover.
- Port taxes and tips included.
At a price of 2,020 euros per person.
This newsroom has learned that the participants in this cruise include the mayor, Mario Jiménez, the public works councillor, Marcos Ruiz, and the resident foreigners councillor, Agustín Vargas, accompanied by their respective partners. We wish them a pleasant trip, as we do all the residents who have been able to set off on this extraordinary journey.
It is not the first trip of the year
This is not the first time that several municipal officials have taken part in a trip organised by this department.
Months ago, the Resident Foreigners department promoted a trip to Egypt, scheduled for 26 April to 3 May 2026, at an advertised price of 1,960 euros per person.
On that occasion, according to information known to this newsroom, the mayor, Mario Jiménez, and the same councillor, Agustín Vargas, also took part, likewise accompanying the group of residents who were able to enjoy that trip.
A coincidence that delays the council meeting
The coincidence between the two official documents and the dates of the trip means that, for a week, Juan Carlos Morejón will act as mayor, while the ordinary council meeting of the Town Hall will be held once the period of absences set out in the decree has ended.
The Town Hall, in the official documents consulted by this newsroom, does not mention the trip as the reason for the postponement, limiting itself to justifying the change by the absence of the mayor and several councillors on those dates.
