Valencia’s regional government, which has been heavily criticized for its response to the devastating floods that killed at least 222 people in Spain, has ruled out an imminent resignation over the issue, saying the resignation of a senior leader would amount to a betrayal of the country. are. victims of the disaster.
In response to growing public anger over the authorities’ handling of the emergency, 130,000 people took to the streets of Valencia on Saturday night to demand the resignation of regional president Carlos Massón.
It has emerged that Mazon, a member of the conservative People’s Party (PP), had a three-hour lunch with journalists on Tuesday, October 29, the day heavy rains hit the region, and did not arrive at the venue. Pressure is mounting. The emergency command center will be open until 7:30 p.m. that day.
Unanswered questions remain as to why the administration waited nearly 14 hours before sending an urgent civil protection message to people’s cellphones, despite a series of extreme weather warnings from the state weather bureau.
On Sunday morning, the region’s vice president, Susana Camarello, stressed that no one would resign as Spain faces its biggest crisis in recent memory.
“Given the scale of the disaster and the damage it has done to the town and its people, given the scale and all the damage that has been caused, we cannot abandon the victims,” she said. “This government will not abandon the victims. This government will stand by the victims, as it has from day one. Resigning is not an option at this time. They are not an option. We The only thing that can be considered is to engage in recovery efforts and repair the damage that has been done.”
Mazon himself has promised to answer when he appears in parliament this week. “I plan to give a political briefing on Thursday and give a detailed explanation of the entire incident,” he said. “For the sake of the victims, and given what happened, I think it’s also important to explain things in a nice and orderly way so you don’t waste time arguing back when it could have worked.” You can avoid the fake news stage you had to go through with things that really matter. ”
Valencia’s president has previously tried to blame Spain’s socialist-led government, as well as the military’s emergency forces (UME), which are sending large numbers of personnel to the region.
Mazon’s colleagues in the national party defended his actions and insisted he took full responsibility. They accuse the central government of refusing to respond to the crisis.
Spanish government officials say they have sent more than 18,000 soldiers and police to the region and have done all they can. They point out that the crisis remains a Level 2 emergency and a matter for local authorities, so Mazon has full control of relief efforts.
If the Valencian government declares it is unable to handle the situation, a level 3 state of emergency could be declared and command transferred to the central government.
The central government said the matter would be “discussed when the time is right” and stopped short of calling for Masson’s resignation, but said the facts speak for themselves.
Many of those who took part in Saturday’s protest chanted “Mazon resign!” They held placards that read “You killed us” and “Our hands are stained with mud and yours are stained with blood.” Some demonstrators clashed with riot police outside Valencia’s city hall, with officers using batons to push them back.
Camarello said he understood people’s anger and pain, but feared some were using the demonstrations for political and violent purposes.
“Maybe there were people at that march who really wanted to show their anger and pain, given the damage and destruction that we saw, and also wanted to use it politically. “There must have been some people who were thinking about it,” she said. . “I completely respect the people who were protesting, but the people who were violent were not representative of them. What some people are doing, others are doing. It has nothing to do with that.”
