The Compromís MP integrated in the Mixed Group of the Congress, Águeda Micó, assessed this Wednesday that the resignation of the Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Óscar Puente, following the Urda (Toledo) rail disaster, is a "correct and necessary" decision, but she has emphasized that it is "insufficient" given the scale of the tragedy, which has left at least 69 dead.
During her speech at an event held at the Ateneo de Madrid, Micó highlighted that the opening of the rail market, endorsed by both PP and PSOE through a European directive, has led to there being "no alignment of the safety protocols nor any modernization of the tracks in line with current traffic". In this regard, she demanded strengthening safety measures not only in high-speed rail, but also in Rodalies and in medium-distance services.
The deputy spokesperson for Sumar in Congress and also a Compromís MP, Alberto Ibáñez, stressed that Puente has shown that "not everyone is the same in politics" by taking on responsibilities and bearing the pain of the victims, "despite not being directly responsible for the accident". In his view, this gesture makes a difference in the way of acting in the face of a tragedy of this magnitude.
Compromís demands accountability and defends the victims
Ibáñez recalled that Compromís called for Puente to resign because "he has to take responsibility for the pain and empathy with the victims, especially because it is a second rail accident, the result of cuts, of the lack of maintenance, and of deregulation". He insisted that the incident cannot be separated from austerity policies and the rail management model.
Furthermore, the MP reiterated his criticisms of the words of the PP leader, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, about the possible calling of a general strike, and accused him of violating freedom of association, democracy, and the agreements set out in the Constitution. "Let them stop putting dirty hands on the unions in our country," he demanded, calling for respect for the autonomy of trade union organizations.
Support for Carlos Cuerpo and debate on the rail model
In relation to the decision that the first vice president and Minister of Economy, Carlos Cuerpo, should provisionally assume the Transport portfolio, Micó has placed this move in the context of the proximity of the general elections on November 29. "It could be Carlos Cuerpo like any other person who assumed responsibility in the little time that remains," he has said, downplaying the specific name and focusing on managing the crisis.
Ibáñez has also backed the appointment and has said that it was "normal" for responsibility to fall on the vice president or on the Minister of Industry. However, he has stressed that Puente's departure should not be taken as settling the discussion about the rail model or about the consequences of liberalization and cuts in maintenance.
"A change of era" after the elections in the United States
Meanwhile, both MPs have expressed their hope that the Democratic victory in the United States legislative elections will act as a "wake-up call" for the Spanish left ahead of the November 29 elections.
Micó has pointed out that the outcome may help contain the advance of the right and far right. "I think it can be a wake-up call, just like the elections in Serbia have been, just like the elections in Brazil have been," he has said, linking these processes with the Spanish political context.
For his part, Ibáñez has interpreted Donald Trump's electoral setback as part of a "change of era" and has argued that the left must present more ambitious proposals, instead of limiting itself to "warning" about the risks of the far right. In his view, only in this way will it be possible to respond to social discontent and halt the advance of reactionary forces.