“I was saddened to learn of the death of José Ángel Villalba, mayor of El Buste, from cancer,” Azcón wrote, conveying “all my affection” and that of the Aragón PP family to his relatives, colleagues and friends. “May he rest in peace,” the Aragonese president concluded.
Villalba, born in 1966, first became mayor of El Buste after the 2015 local elections. Since then, he had remained at the head of the town council for three consecutive terms.
El Buste is a small municipality in Zaragoza province, located in the Tarazona and Moncayo comarca, with around 60 inhabitants. During his years leading the town council, Villalba had spearheaded various initiatives related to public services and the fight against depopulation, including efforts to find people to take charge of the municipal bar and a town-owned home.
CONDOLENCES FROM THE ZARAGOZA PROVINCIAL COUNCIL
The president of the Zaragoza Provincial Council, Juan Antonio Sánchez Quero, also expressed his sorrow over the mayor’s death. The provincial leader recalled that the death of the mayor of Fuentes de Jiloca had been reported just days earlier and highlighted the “effort and sacrifice” made by Villalba and the province’s mayors in support of their municipalities.
I was saddened to learn of the death of José Ángel Villalba, mayor of El Buste, from cancer.
All my affection, and that of the @pparagon family, to his relatives, colleagues and friends in these difficult moments.
May he rest in peace. pic.twitter.com/NLLplzAsUk — Jorge Azcón (@Jorge_Azcon) September 22, 2026
Sánchez Quero also sent “another big hug” to Villalba’s family, loved ones and party colleagues. His death comes just days after that of the mayor of Fuentes de Jiloca, Marta Gracia, also in Zaragoza province.
