The Equality and Diversity department of Manilva Town Hall, headed by the courageous Laura Salazar, has organised a talk and discussion, «Women in Politics», for Tuesday 3 March at 19:00 at Villa Matilde, as part of the Women’s Week programme.
The event will bring together women who have been actively involved in municipal political life, with the aim of reflecting on women’s access to decision-making bodies, the obstacles encountered over time and the evolution of female representation in local politics.
The proposal emphasises dialogue between different experiences, from different historical periods and, in some cases, in contexts of particular institutional complexity, making this forum an opportunity to analyse politics from complementary and, at times, opposing perspectives.
During the same event, the prizes of the Poetry Competition will be presented, adding a cultural element to a day of reflection and public participation.
Entry is free until capacity is reached.
Local speakers and careers:
María Lozano
Former councillor of Manilva Town Hall for the PSOE in the early 2000s. She was one of the key figures in the vote of no confidence of November 2000 that ended Antonia Muñoz’s term as mayor, in one of the most significant episodes of political instability in the municipality. Statements she made are still remembered in which she asserted that she would never share a political platform with Antonia Muñoz, but shortly afterwards she joined her project. She later moved into opposition and publicly expressed regret over that agreement.
Antonia Muñoz
Mayor of Manilva in two periods (1999-2000 and 2007-2011) for Izquierda Unida. She is one of the most relevant figures in local politics since the restoration of democracy, with a career marked both by municipal management and by complex political episodes that forced her to leave politics and begin interminable legal proceedings, which have been going round in the courts for more than 11 years. She will share the debate with other speakers with whom she held opposing positions at key moments in the recent history of the Town Hall.
María del Carmen Ferríz
Former councillor of the Partido Popular, she later joined the group of non-affiliated councillors after leaving the PP in 2009, amid strong internal conflict within the party. She then defended the need for institutional stability and rejected the use of votes of no confidence as a tool for political trade-offs. She brings the experience of practising municipal politics from an independent position.
Patricia Recio
Former Social Welfare councillor for Izquierda Unida. She began her political career in 2011 as part of the electoral lists without a seat, later working as an area coordinator. In 2015 she joined the Town Hall as an elected member, taking on responsibilities in social policy. Her profile reflects internal growth within a political party and the move from technical duties to representation as a councillor.
Paqui López
Former Cleaning councillor during Antonia Muñoz’s term. She was acquitted in 2025 in the court case concerning the Entidad Urbanística El Hacho, after a lengthy judicial process. Her testimony can offer insight into municipal management and the personal and political impact of prolonged legal proceedings.
Conchi Ferrer
Former councillor of Manilva Town Hall as an independent with Izquierda Unida in 1991. She subsequently left the party and, shortly afterwards, joined the mixed group, later joining the GIL as a trusted person. Soon after, she left politics. Her experience brings to the discussion the perspective of changes in party membership and of ideological evolution within local government.
Other guests
Dolores Sánchez López, member of the Cortes Generales between 1983 and 2000.
Rosa Díaz García, mayor of Estepona between 2001 and 2003.
A forum with past, present and dialogue
The talk «Women in Politics» will exceptionally bring together women who shared the institution at different times and from different political positions, some of them key players in decisions and episodes that shaped the recent political history of Manilva. This crossing of careers makes the discussion a space of interest for reflecting not only on the presence of women in politics, but also on the capacity for dialogue despite ideological and some personal differences, coexistence and analysis based on experience and the passage of time.
The poetry competition prizes will be presented at the event.
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