Óscar Puente, for now, will not leave his post. The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, maintains his support for the Minister of Transport and for now rules out his departure from the Executive, despite the criticism caused by his management of the Spanish railway system following the railway accident in Urda (Toledo), which has left at least 69 dead. The minister's continuity has the express support of Moncloa, which has dissociated the tragedy from his responsibility at the head of the department, although calls for explanations and for the assumption of responsibilities extend from the opposition to the railway unions and also reach sectors of the PSOE.
According to sources from the Presidency, Sánchez has personally conveyed his confidence to Puente and considers that he must continue leading the Government's response to the emergency. The minister's entourage also rules out his resignation, after the Transport minister himself avoided raising the possibility of his departure during his first public appearance after the disaster, held on Wednesday, when he said he was not thinking about himself, but about clarifying what happened.
But Moncloa's position clashes with the criticism that has arisen within the PSOE itself, where some sources consulted by the Europa Press agency consider it "unacceptable" that Spain has recorded two deadly railway accidents in barely nine months. The Adamuz (Córdoba) collision, which occurred in January, left 46 dead, while the confirmed toll in Urda rises to 69, bringing the death toll between both tragedies to 115.
Moncloa closes ranks with Puente
Sánchez's support became explicit this Thursday, after both of them took part in the meeting of the Integrated Operational Coordination Center (Cecopi) in Toledo and later traveled to the H24 control center of Adif, located at the Madrid station of Atocha, where they remained for more than two hours.
The Executive insists that the Urda accident has no relation to Puente's management, a assessment that Moncloa uses to justify his continuity. The sources, consulted by the news agencies, question the resignation demands and reproach those who make them for taking advantage of the victims' pain to gain electoral benefit.
The minister, for his part, has avoided announcing any decision about his political future. Asked on Wednesday about a possible resignation, he replied that at that moment he was not thinking about himself, but about the victims and the clarification of the circumstances of the accident. Those around him insist that he will remain at the head of the department.
The technical and judicial investigation remains open and has still not established a definitive chain of responsibilities. The inquiries are examining both the computer failure that affected the LZB safety system and the instructions transmitted from the Adif control center to the trains involved.
The criticism reaches the PSOE
Although the Executive’s leadership maintains its confidence in Puente, unease has also appeared among some voices in the Socialist ranks who question the state of the railway system after the accidents in Adamuz and Urda.
"Something is failing", warn PSOE sources cited by Europa Press, who consider the succession of two tragedies of this magnitude in a country that has one of the most extensive high-speed rail networks in the world to be hardly acceptable.
Sánchez himself had described on Wednesday as "unacceptable" that two fatal accidents on high-speed rail had occurred in the same year. According to Europa Press, some Socialist sectors initially interpreted those words as a possible prelude to the dismissal of the minister, although Moncloa has ruled out that reading by reaffirming its support.
The PP demands explanations from Sánchez
Parliamentary pressure intensified during Thursday. The Partido Popular has filed a request for Pedro Sánchez to appear urgently before the Permanent Deputation of the Congress and explain the causes and consequences of the accident, the actions of the Executive and the possible responsibilities of the Government.
The initiative comes after Alberto Núñez Feijóo visited Urda and called for political responsibilities without waiting for the investigations to conclude. The opposition leader questioned Puente's continuity and argued that the demand for political responsibilities must be distinguished from the determination of possible judicial responsibilities.
Vox has gone further and has filed a complaint before the Supreme Court against the minister for alleged crimes of homicide and injuries through gross negligence, in the form of commission by omission. The party is requesting that his actions be investigated in light of the warnings about railway safety and compliance with the commitments previously assumed.
The demands are not only coming from the opposition, but also from the left-wing space of the PSOE. Frente Amplio, Podemos and ERC have called for Puente to appear, while the Frente Amplio candidate, Ada Colau, has defended the need to provide all available information and clarify the technical and political responsibilities that may arise from the investigation.
From Izquierda Unida, Antonio Maíllo has also called for an independent audit of the state of the railway network, with the aim of analyzing the safety conditions and determining the necessary measures to prevent new accidents.
The unions call for his dismissal
The criticism of the minister has also been extended to the union sphere, especially after in his first appearance following the accident he pointed to the decisions adopted from the Adif control center.
The railway branch of CCOO has called for the immediate dismissal of Puente for considering that his explanations have contributed to publicly holding workers responsible before the investigation is concluded. The union denounces that railway personnel are being singled out without the circumstances under which the traffic orders were issued having yet been clarified.
In similar terms, CSIF has spoken, which has called for the minister's resignation and has demanded respect for the presumption of innocence of the Adif worker who took part in the management of railway traffic. The organization considers that responsibility for the accident cannot be attributed to an individual action without first examining the functioning of the safety systems and the established protocols.
Both unions agree in demanding a rigorous and transparent investigation that will make it possible to determine whether there were technical, organizational or human failures and what measures should be adopted to reinforce the safety of circulation.
Puente will appear on Tuesday in Congress
While calls for accountability continue, Óscar Puente has requested to appear at his own request before the Permanent Deputation of Congress next Tuesday, November 3, at 17.00 hours, to inform about the circumstances of the accident and answer the questions of the parliamentary groups, which makes even clearer that Puente does not intend to resign for now.
Before going to Congress, Puente will hold a new press conference this Friday, in which the Ministry of Transport plans to update the available information on the accident and the actions carried out since Wednesday.