Student Patricia Martínez appointed president of the Generalitat in the Parlament Universitari 2024 competition

  • Press Office
  • May 15th, 2024
 
Patrícia Martínez Muñoz
Patrícia Martínez Muñoz

The team of students from the Universitat de València participated in and won this year’s edition of the Parlament Universitari 2024, which has allowed them to obtain the presidency of the Generalitat. The team is comprised of fourteen students: second-year students from the Double degree in Law and Criminology and first-year students from Political Sciences and Administration, coordinated by Ana Marrades and Vicenta Tasa, professors of Constitutional Law. The student Patricia Martínez Muñoz was appointed president of the Generalitat.

The UV students who participated in the activity were Iman Kilani Simon, Sofía Marín Coronas, Rafael Mackenzie Fuentes, Cèsar Micó Reig, Sara Rivera Mejía, Irene Beltrán Hernández, Rubén García Collado, Júlia Bou Casabuena, Carolina Covadonga Ballester, Marina Alcaraz Garcia, Marta Sorribas de Fes, Ángel Martí Ferrandis and Ares Berjillos Martínez. The speech was delivered by the Political Sciences student, Patricia Martínez Muñoz. After the vote of all the university parliamentary groups in the hemicycle of Les Corts Valencianes, she obtained the necessary majority to be appointed president of the Generalitat. Thus, the UV was declared winner on 3 May.

Iman Kilani Simon, one of the most involved students in the coordination and team promotion, points out that from the UV "we have always been committed to our values from the very beginning, therefore, the key was to present egalitarian and effective initiatives from a firm position but always open to dialogue and collaboration".

The competition, organised by Les Corts Valencianes, was intended to simulate a debate and the vote for the election of the president of the Generalitat Valenciana. Thus, students had the opportunity to learn how a plenary session of Les Corts works and give speeches and specific proposals in a simulated parliamentary session with debates and the vote on the different government options presented by each university.

The UV's government proposal brought together different issues and courses of action, such as the current situation of precariousness among young people and marginalised communities, mental health, gender violence, the promotion of linguistic diversity, underfunding, and the formation of a pluralist government so as to make progress in Valencian society.

For Iman Kilani, this has been an "unique experience in a lot of ways. Not only have we been given the opportunity to put into practice the knowledge acquired at university, but it has also been a process of teamwork and constant debate that has personally made me grow as a student and as a person."

Professor Ana Marrades explains that the key to gaining the support of the other universities that acted as parliamentary groups was the work of the UV team in seeking dialogue and common ground. "In such a polarised society, learning the importance of dialogue to achieve common goals was important for students, and with that in mind, the team sought common ground on shared values and obtained the support of the other university groups."

In addition to the Universitat de València, the Universitat Politècnica de València, the Miguel Hernández University of Elche, the Universidad Europea de Valencia, the University of Alacant, the Universitat Jaume I of Castellón, the Catholic University of Valencia and the Universidad Cardenal Herrera CEU have also participated in this edition of the Parlament Universitari 2024.

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