Sánchez calls for elections in Valencia to stop the denialism of the PP and Vox

Madrid / Barcelona"Climate change has caused more than 20,000 deaths in Spain in the last five years." Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez used his speech at the leaders' summit prior to COP30, held in Belém, in the heart of the Brazilian Amazon, to deliver a stark message about the effects of the climate emergency. Sánchez specifically took the opportunity to remember the 229 people who died as a result of the devastating DANA storm in the Valencian Community just over a year ago, as well as the deaths caused by the extreme heat waves that Spain has suffered in recent years.

While the climate summit served internationally to highlight Donald Trump's denialism, in Spain Sánchez did not hesitate to take a swipe at the PP and Vox parties, coinciding precisely with the negotiations between both parties to find a replacement for Carlos Mazón in the Valencian Community. In this way, he openly called for the first time for a break with the climate change denier majority in Valencia and for the need to call elections. "I am following the negotiations between the PP and Vox with concern," said Sánchez, who anticipated that an agreement between the right and the far right could lead to a "dismantling of the climate agenda in a region, the Mediterranean, that has clearly been affected by the consequences of the climate emergency." In fact, Sánchez was emphatic against those who deny climate change: "There is no empirical evidence, however overwhelming, capable of changing the mind of someone who has chosen to turn a blind eye." In this regard, the Spanish president announced an additional contribution of 45 million euros to finance international climate change mitigation and adaptation programs: "Climate change not only kills, but also impoverishes."

PP-Vox meeting in the Valencian Community

While Sánchez was attacking the PP and Vox, negotiations to replace Carlos Mazón as president of the Valencian regional government have begun in the Valencian Community. The PP and Vox held a formal meeting in Valencia that brought their uncertainty to the surface. The PP still has no candidate, and Santiago Abascal's party has requested "a name," as stated in a press release. Furthermore, according to sources consulted by ARA, although "the predisposition is good," there is significant "internal turmoil" within the PP ranks, and Vox wants them to first clear the air given the power vacuum and internal struggles within the Valencian PP over the candidate. The secretary general of the far-right party, Ignacio Garriga, along with his deputy and closest confidante, Montserrat Lluis –also Catalan—who is leading all regional talks—, landed in the city to meet with the team of the Valencian PP's general secretary, Juanfran Pérez Llorca, the likely new president. This meeting took place on the same day as the Official State Gazette The Official State Gazette (BOE) has published Mazón's resignation, without thanking him for his services, which is unusual.

The meeting is just the first step in talks where the PP is showing signs of urgency and Vox is taking a more measured approach, according to sources consulted by this newspaper. "It's going to be a long process," say knowledgeable sources, waiting for the name of the presidential candidate to be revealed so that the policy platforms can be discussed. Vox prioritizes anti-immigration policies—with special emphasis on establishing aid and subsidies for Spanish citizens as a "national priority"—and opposes the European Green Deal. Abascal himself has criticized Sánchez's speech and his "climate terrorism," and has again blamed the storm in Valencia.

Vox's statement contrasts sharply with the PP's silence, which has been hermetically sealed and rather cryptic. The far-right party has been clear: "Today, we had an initial meeting with the PP, during which we observed a willingness to negotiate. Vox conveyed the need for the PP to decide who its new candidate for the Valencian Generalitat will be so that, once designated, we can explore our own options with them in light of Pedro Sánchez's destructive policies." This move puts the ball in the PP's court, a party that has recently emphasized the need for "stability," expressing its desire for it rather hastily. Thus, whenever ARA has consulted Vox, they have indicated that they are "open to seeing to what extent they are willing to adopt a program, or if not, that the electorate decides," but first, the name must be chosen, which is not a priority for Abascal's party. But despite not being the core issue, Vox sees it as essential "to keep moving forward." This negotiation is a litmus test that could be a "message" for Alberto Núñez Feijóo, regarding his political future in Spain and how Vox will put pressure on him.