The political time of the PP has accelerated in the last week. The fuel has been the fiasco of the Congress of the European PP (PPE), which will finally be held in Valencia on the same day in which six months of the DANA of October 29 will be completed, together with the demolition of judicial order that rave the co -striking and versions offered by the top leaders of the Generalitat Valenciana to try to excuse themselves from the management of some floods that caused at least 228 dead. The fled forward of the president, Carlos Mazón, and the strategic and communicative strip that Alberto Núñez Feijóo is doing seem to have had fed up the PP leader that almost from one day to another has gone from trusting the president of the president to the “reconstruction” not to mention it and commit himself to purify “the responsibilities” of what happened.
Feijóo continues without having an easy way out for the huge political crisis that has been open more than four months ago in one of the main voting wipes on the right. Whenever the PP has ruled in Spain, it has had a powerful support of Valencian voters, both at the state and regional level. Hence the opposition leader has gone with lead feet. As he tried to explain in a Telecinco interview on February 24, decisions are made with a main criterion: not lose control of the Generalitat. “We are interested in continuing to rule,” he said.
Feijóo’s words agreed over time with the attempt to redempted Mazón in Madrid, who lost the opportunity to get his own. He did not speak almost about reconstruction, but tried to protect himself. He justified his absences on the afternoon of the Dana and began to break the last thread that united him politically with the national direction and the other regional barons of the PP.
But this week the internal crisis has increased in volume until, unexpectedly, the PP leaked on Thursday that the PPE Congress would finally be held in Valencia, as planned. The information did not know it in the PP of Madrid, whose leaders were already making efforts to find enough available spaces to congregate in the capital dozens of people who will disembark in the conclave of the main party of the European Parliament.
It had been just one week since Feijóo in person announced his intention to take the conclave to another city. He did it after meeting with some of the most powerful leaders in Europe, from Ursula von der Leide Friedrich Merz, through Donald Tusk or Antonio Tajani.
But on Thursday morning the MEPs of the PP had breakfast with an email of the party’s continental chief, the German Manfred Weber: “I want to inform them that, after considering it, we continue with the preparations for our Congress, which will be held in Valencia.” The surprise in the National Delegations in Brussels was similar to when exactly a week before Feijóo announced, without question, its intention to take the Valencia Congress.
The reading they make from the European political capital is that the pulse “has lost Genoa.” “They are not able to see the consequences,” the same sources point out. Because the fear of a virulent reaction of the victims of the DANA and a broad sector of the Valencian society is still in force. In fact, the inauguration of the Congress, on April 29, coincides with the first six months from the floods.
Other sources show their strangeness because Weber mention some “considerations.” The change of the headquarters of the congress was not going to be free for the PP or for the PPE. The preparations for the conclave had begun in the summer of 2024 and a month and a half of the event the hosts had already signed many contracts: rental of spaces, caterings, assemblies and disassembly, hotels, restaurants and other services.
The political specialized environment collected internal doubts in the PPE about the convenience of changing the Congress of place and the internal struggle on who should assume the cost of the transfer. The Spanish PP did not want to answer their questions.
Even the PPE had already formally requested the European Parliament help for the simultaneous translation system, a service that pays the body being a political activity related to its competences. The petition was formulated in December. The affirmative answer came on January 23. By then, the Spanish PP already knew that Congress was going to coincide with full parliamentarians, the excuse that Feijóo subsequently wielded to try to change the location of the appointment.
Different sources consulted by eldiario.es attribute the final decision precisely to the economic issue, although not everyone believes it is something so relevant as to maintain Congress in Valencia. Although the official acts of the conclave will be held in the Fira de València, a fairs center on the outskirts of the city, the fear that the protesters copent the headlines is more than evident.
It is true that Feijóo said that the final decision would be made in “hours” or “days”, but also that the difference in how one idea was communicated and the other reflects a contradiction for the direction of the Spanish PP, since the future European conclave eclipsed the meeting that the opposition leader was going to maintain that same day with the president of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, in account of the increase in the budget for defense.
Feijóo appeared before the journalists in a crowded press conference in Congress that wanted to focus, without much success, on the important subject that had just discussed with Sánchez. In the question shift they questioned him about the future of Mazón and the PPE Congress. Feijóo tried not to answer and before the stir of the informants tried to derive the question to another moment.
He responded at the end of the appearance. “They will understand that it is not today’s issue,” he said first. “I do not like to change your mind or every 15 minutes or every week,” he added, almost when seven exact days of the announcement on Congress in Valencia were completed. “Let’s let things go and remain attentive to the facts,” he said, to conclude: “The facts is that there is a car that imputes a former manager and a former general director. Those are the facts. ”
Commitment to victims
It is not the first time that Feijóo sees how Mazón’s problems overshadow their media strategy. When everyone is literally aware of the rearme, Donald Trump, Ukraine, Russia and European funds, the leader of the PP is heard more talk about the internal of their party than about the problems of the people. Not because he does not try, but because media attention is focused on an unsolved matter.
Just 24 hours later, Feijóo went to Valladolid to visit a winery with the president of Castilla y León, Alfonso Fernández Mañueco. The PP leader talked about tariffs. Of self -employed. Tax. And, again, the questions were dominated by the DANA of 2024, the management of Mazón and the Valencia Congress.
And Feijóo took a step that until now had not taken. In his response he stopped mentioning the “reconstruction” of Valencia, the ‘macguffin’ discursive with which the PP had agreed to give the questions about Mazón long. Until now, both the leader and the rest of the spokesmen had emphasized the need for the president to remain in charge of the Generalitat to assume the task of returning to the province to his being prior to the Dana. And it would be that “reconstruction” that would determine whether Mazón could continue or not.
It was a way to win time while Feijóo was looking for an exit that has not arrived. Vox does not seem to be for the work of dropping to Mazón, or at least not for the moment. And any relay at the head of the Generalitat goes through the favorable vote of those of Santiago Abascal. The alternative to go to elections or consider it in Genoa because, as it was said, “it is interesting to continue ruling.” And, today, that is not guaranteed.
The PP leader squeezed even more when assuming a first -person commitment to the “victims” of the Dana. Feijóo said in Valladolid wanting to “know what happened, who were responsible and investigated until the end.” “The 227 dead in Valencia [esta semana la cifra ha aumentado a 228] They need politicians to investigate and assume the responsibilities that correspond to us, ”he added.
The reference to political responsibility goes beyond the mere reference to a judicial order that, due to aphorating, did not reach Mazón. “Research is the minimum that we can offer from politics to the victims. Life we can no longer return it, but at least dignity to their families, “he added, to conclude:” It is a commitment that I assume as president of our country’s first party. ”
There are several open research commissions at the moment. The Les Corts and another of the Diputación de Valencia are already underway. And they are about to start paths in Congress and the Senate. They referred to Feijóo, who also alluded to the judicial instruction: “There is a car, and, therefore, hopefully to the content and scope of the same and the content and scope of the investigation.”
It is a whole turn for those who have followed the evolution of Feijóo’s speech over his baron. Two relevant milestones appear on the PP horizon that the direction wants Mazón not to contaminate even with its presence. In addition to València, at the end of March, both regional and state and European deputies will meet at an interparliamentary meeting.
Two weeks seen, it is not clear if the appointment will have a more or less wide presence of regional barons. If, it is impossible for them to escape from having to answer about their Valencian partner. And although in private there are those who argue that the treatment that is being given to Mazón is “unfair”, the reality is that in public they do not have to talk. Some presidents who do have on Agenda the Seville event are waiting for them to confirm what is expected of them.
The acceleration week has concluded with an image that shows how the anger of the victims of the Dana is not only sending, but is increasing. A group of affected moved to Madrid on Friday to announce complaints for homicide. Then, they marched to the national headquarters of the PP, in Madrid’s street of Genoa.
There a dozen victims with posters were planted. Some tried to access the building to present a formal complaint and be received by someone from the party, without any success. Soon, about twenty national police officers appeared strongly pertrected, in addition to some of the Local Police. They took the data of those present and forced them to protest from the sidewalk opposite to the headquarters of the PP.
Far from sending, the indignation tide caused by the DANA management continues to rise. And the national headquarters of the PP have already touched. Almost even for a tempered mood like Feijóo.
Source: www.eldiario.es
