President of Spain’s Valencia survives confidence vote over handling of deadly floods
Besieged leader saved with support of far-right party Vox
OVIEDO, Spain
President of Spain’s Valencia Carlos Mazon survived a vote of no confidence on Thursday brought on by the opposition over his handling of the deadly floods.
On Oct. 29, devastating floods struck the coastal Spanish region, killing at least 224 people in Valencia and causing widespread destruction that remains visible today.
The vote calling for his resignation was initiated by the left-wing party Compromis and supported by the Socialist Party.
However, Mazon was saved thanks to the support of the far-right party Vox.
Fierce criticism persists regarding Mazon’s absence from an emergency meeting on the day of the storm. Media reports later revealed that he was at a prolonged lunch with a journalist instead.
On Wednesday, a judge investigating what happened blamed authorities for the number of deaths, saying they could have been avoided with proper warnings.
Spanish broadcaster RTVE reported on Wednesday that officials urgently requested the Valencian emergency director to send an alert to mobile phones. However, she was reportedly waiting for Mazon to arrive, which didn’t happen until around 7 p.m. local time (1700GMT).
By the time the emergency alert reached cellphones, flood waters were already meters high in towns, with thousands of people stranded and emergency services unable to reach them.
"If I were you, I would feel like crying. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself," Compromis spokesperson Joan Baldovi said during the parliamentary debate.
Socialist spokesperson Jose Munoz accused Mazon of concealing the truth and altering his narrative. "You are addicted to lies, a fabricator of misinformation," he said.
Ahead of the parliamentary session, around 200 people gathered outside Les Corts, urging politicians to "consider the pain of the victims" and support Mazon’s resignation.
"We have an emotional wound that could begin to heal with his resignation," one demonstrator told Spanish daily El País.
Despite the criticism, Mazon’s conservative Popular Party (PP) and Vox have directed blame at Spain’s national government.
A legal investigation into the responsibilities surrounding the disaster is ongoing.
