PSPV and Compromís have urged the 'expresident' of the Generalitat Carlos Mazón to give up his seat as PP deputy in Les Corts, coinciding this Tuesday with the first anniversary of his resignation over the management of the dana. In addition, the socialists have demanded that he return "the 1,931 euros he has charged in mileage expenses" as a parliamentarian, despite having a driver because of his status as 'expresident'.
In the face of these accusations, the PP has criticized the left-wing parties for "not speaking about what matters to citizens" barely a week after the Urda rail accident, and has assured that it was unaware of the specific data on Mazón's mileage expenses. Both PP and Vox have reiterated their demand for the resignation of the Minister of Transport, the socialist Óscar Puente.
The positions have been set out by the spokespersons of the four groups in Les Corts at the press conference following the junta de síndics, when asked about the anniversary of Mazón's resignation, which took place a year and four days after the dana of October 29, 2024, in which 234 people died in the province of Valencia.
From the PSPV, José Muñoz has emphasized that "Mazón continues occupying his seat, protected by parliamentary immunity" before the courts and "has charged Les Corts 1,931 euros in mileage allowances when he has a chauffeur in his office as 'expresident'".
"Carlos Mazón is taking 101 euros every time he comes to Les Corts, because he comes twice a month when there is a plenary session," Muñoz has denounced, who has urged the deputy "to return these allowances charged improperly" as they are public funds and because that money "belongs to the Valencians".
The socialist leader has also lashed out at the "indignity" of the words of the general secretary of the PP, Miguel Tellado, who stated that "the dana and the 234 deaths occurred because there were no prior warnings, when we all know that if these fatalities occurred it was because the ES-Alert arrived late and because Mazón was in a private room in El Ventorro".
For this reason, he has demanded "lessons" from the PP and has reproached the leader of the 'populars' and candidate for the presidency of the Government, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, for demanding "resignations" such as Puente's while "what he demands for the rest he does not do in his own house" in relation to Mazón's situation.
When asked about the request by PP and Vox that the Minister of Transport step down, the socialist síndic has limited himself to responding: "That has been widely answered and I am not going to dwell" on it.
"It should have gone down in history a long time ago"
Compromís síndic Joan Baldoví has agreed that "it is striking to see Feijóo and Vox demanding political responsibility while here they keep someone who should have gone down in history a long time ago", in reference to Mazón. In his view, the former 'president' "should have resigned out of decency" and, if he does not, both PP and Vox "should have demanded his seat or sent him to the group of non-attached members".
Baldoví has described it as "a true shame that he continues as a deputy and shielded from prosecution so as not to go before the judge in Catarroja and that he is earning more as spokesperson for a committee that has still not met since his appointment", and he has warned that, in his opinion, "the exercise of hypocrisy by PP and Vox borders on the most absolute indecency".
PP speaks of a "smokescreen" and Vox insists on Puente's resignation
For his part, the PP síndic, Nando Pastor, when asked whether Mazón should give up his seat, replied that "PSPV and Compromís have no choice but to talk about what they feel comfortable with", and described this controversy as "one more smokescreen so as not to talk about what worries citizens" after "nine months after the Adamuz accident and a week after the Urda one".
Pastor has defended, regarding the dana, that "this community has had what it has had: an investigation committee, requests for apologies and political resignations". "And I have not seen it opposite at any time", he stressed, reproaching Baldoví for demanding Puente's resignation "in a low voice".
As for Mazón's mileage allowances, the popular spokesman has pointed out that "we will have to see whether it is true or another hoax or a smokescreen". When it was pointed out to him that these amounts already appear on the Les Corts website, he specified that he does not question it, but that he wants to "see it properly" before pronouncing himself and without adding "anything more about it".
"Surely there is an explanation –he said–, which I cannot give now not for lack of will, but for lack of knowledge. In any case, coming from an illustrious 'sanchista' like José Muñoz, all the reservations in the world with that information, however published it may be".
The Vox spokesperson, José Mª Llanos, has limited himself to reiterating, when asked about Mazón’s situation, that "it is time for Óscar Puente to resign or be dismissed". "But it is not up to me to decide it, and I say exactly the same regarding Mr. Mazón, who has the right to keep his seat. And I have nothing more to say about it", he concluded.