Valencian regional president Carlos Mazón on Monday announced his resignation following a year of protests over his handling of the flood disaster which killed 229 people in October 2024.
“I can’t take it anymore,” the centre-right PP politician said at a press conference at 9am on Monday November 3rd.
“The reality is that today I am the focus of criticism, noise, hatred, and tension.”
Mazón has faced fierce scrutiny over his handling of the October 29th 2024 catastrophe, including 12 mass protests which have called for him to go, but he has consistently rebuffed calls for his resignation until now.
His announcement comes five days after the funeral for the victims of last year’s devastating floods in Valencia province, a memorial service which saw families call him everything from a “murderer” to a “coward”.
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Mazón reportedly spoke to party leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo on Sunday as mounting pressure forced the PP’s higher echelons – who have stuck by the embattled politician for the past year – to reconsider the political repercussions of him staying on as Valencia’s leader.
Mazón did not clarify the terms of his departure or when exactly he plans to resign.
His resignation coincides with the testimony before a judge of journalist Maribel Vilaplana, with whom Mazón had lunch at a restaurant in central Valencia for almost four hours on the afternoon of the floods, while the impact of the most devastating floods in recent history in Spain started to be felt.
The Valencian regional government – primarily responsible for the emergency response under Spain’s decentralised system – sent alerts to residents’ mobile phones when flooding had already started in some places.
The alert also came more than 12 hours after the national weather agency had issued its highest alert level for torrential rains.
More to follow.
