Óscar Puente has revealed this Tuesday that Pedro Sánchez was unaware of his intention to resign until just a few minutes before he announced his resignation in the Congress of Deputies. The Transport minister, until now, has explained that he personally conveyed his decision to the head of Government when his appearance before the Standing Committee had already begun, convened to give explanations about the Urda (Toledo) train accident, which has left 74 people dead.
"The president knew nothing," Puente has assured in the corridors of the Lower House. According to his account, Sánchez was informed of the resignation "a few minutes before" he made it public, after a parliamentary intervention that lasted for roughly four hours.
The former minister has not clarified whether he had made the decision before going to the Congress or whether he finished deciding it during the appearance itself, which began at 17.00 hours.
Puente justifies his resignation for the two rail accidents
The resignation comes after the train tragedy in Urda, which occurred on October 28, and the accident in Adamuz (Córdoba), on January 18. Both incidents have opened an intense political debate about the safety of Spain’s rail network and the responsibilities of the Ministry of Transport.
"A Transport minister in a country like Spain cannot continue in office with two accidents of this severity in less than a year," Puente has said to justify his departure from the Executive.
His decision represents a change from the position he had defended during the days following the Urda accident, when he rejected presenting his resignation and said that his priority was to clarify the circumstances of the incident.
A resignation announced in the middle of the pre-election campaign
Puente’s departure from the Government occurs less than a month before the general elections on November 29 and after several days of political pressure regarding the management of rail safety.
In addition to leaving the Ministry of Transport, Puente has renounced taking part in the electoral lists of the PSOE, a decision that also keeps him away from the upcoming electoral contest.
The revelation about the moment in which he informed Sánchez adds a new political element to his resignation: according to the version offered by the former minister himself, the head of Government learned of his decision when the parliamentary appearance was already well underway and shortly before the resignation was made public.