The Frente Amplio candidate for the general elections of 29N, Ada Colau, has called this Friday in Barcelona for the resignation of the Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Óscar Puente, following the railway accident recorded in Urda (Toledo).
"I will not say whether this resignation should take place today, tomorrow or the day after, but we believe it should happen as soon as possible, and we hope that will be the case," she said in statements to the media.
Colau has indicated that this demand has already been conveyed to Moncloa, understanding that, after a second serious incident on the Spanish railway network and in the face of the loss of public trust, "political responsibilities" must be assumed.
Puente, for his part, has ruled out leaving the post after the Urda (Toledo) accident, in which at least 69 people have died: "My way of assuming responsibilities, you know it, is to face up," he declared this Friday in another press appearance in Madrid, where he also assured that the president, Pedro Sánchez, has not asked him to resign.
Demands a quick political response
The Frente Amplio leader considers that the magnitude of what happened requires a reaction "that is not only technical, but political." At this point, she recalled the words of Sánchez himself, when he stated that two accidents of such severity on high-speed rail were not acceptable and that trust in the network had been broken.
"If we believe that these two tragedies have occurred in such a short time on high-speed rail and we assume that trust in the system has been broken, it is essential that there be a political response that is up to the task and that is quick," she said.
Second incident in less than a year
The candidate emphasized that this is the second tragic accident in 10 months, referring to the one that occurred in January in the Cordoban town of Adamuz. "We already said then that something like this should not happen again and it has happened again," she said.
She added that, although Puente may not have had a direct role in the accident, "he has had political responsibility." For this reason, she insisted that, in order to begin to rebuild society's trust in institutions and in high-speed rail, it is "essential" that the assumption of political responsibilities include the minister's resignation.
Criticism of the minister's tone and defense of the workers
Colau has followed Puente's appearance in detail and has admitted that it has generated concern in her, especially because of the tone used by the minister, which in her opinion does not fit the seriousness of the moment.
She has also questioned that he dwelt on technical explanations while the investigation into the accident remains open. "To explain the technical details we have the technical officials, and moreover, we will have an investigation that will require the necessary time to provide even the last detail of the errors that may be technical or that may be human," she has gone into further detail.
Along these lines, the Frente Amplio candidate has stressed that "the point now is not to find and point out culprits," and has described as inadmissible that workers be singled out in relation to this railway accident.
Condolences to the victims and recognition of the emergency teams
Colau has reiterated her condolences to the loved ones of the deceased people and to the families who still have no news of their loved ones, and has conveyed "the best wishes for recovery" to the injured.
Likewise, she has recognized the work of the emergency services and health personnel, as well as the help provided by the neighbors of the area: "The citizenry and civil society always know how to rise to the occasion in this country".