Belloch worked as a judge in
the Basque county. However, he was an independent member of the cabinet. He ran for the mayor of Zaragoza and was elected to the post in June 2003. In 2008, he was appointed the chairman of the association of cities and regions hosting an international exposition (AVE). He attempted to make Zaragoza the
European Capital of Culture for 2016. His other significant activity as mayor was to make the city the host of
the Winter Olympics in 2022. In the
municipal elections in May 2015 he lost and Pedro Santisteve was elected as the mayor of Zaragoza.{{cite news|author=Fernando Garea|title=Municipal politics completes shift to the left as new councils voted in|access-date=12 June 2016|work=El Pais|date=15 June 2015 ==References==