Feijóo announces that Mazón will step down as president of the Valencian PP when there is a change in the Valencian Government

Madrid / ValenciaThe day after Carlos Mazón appear before the DANA committee in CongressAlberto Núñez Feijóo has announced that he will step down as president of the Valencian PP "in the coming weeks." As the party leader explained to the media this Tuesday, the current head of the Valencian government "offered his position to the party" when he submitted his resignation two weeks ago. "He notified me that he felt he should leave the party presidency, and I agree," said Feijóo, who has waited for his resignation to be formalized after the investiture of his successor as president of the Generalitat, Juanfran Pérez Llorca. It will be then that the "appropriate transition" within the party will take place. In this regard, Pérez Llorca, who is the spokesperson for the PP group in the Valencian Parliament (Les Corts) and secretary general of the PP in the Valencian Community, will register his candidacy this Wednesday to be invested as president of the Generalitat, replacing Mazón. Sources within the People's Party (PP) announced on Tuesday that the party will meet tomorrow, the official deadline for submitting candidacies. The announcement that the mayor of Finestrat will formalize his candidacy comes before the outcome of negotiations with Vox, whose votes are essential for electing a new president of the Valencian Government, is known. "I know the negotiations are being conducted respectfully," Feijóo stated, adding that they are being managed from the Valencian Community. Vox's spokesperson in Congress, Pepa Millán, affirmed their "willingness to reach an agreement that benefits Valencians." However, she emphasized that Pérez Llorca's candidacy registration "doesn't mean anything is finalized," but rather that it is being done before the deadline. On Thursday morning, the board of the Valencian Parliament will meet to set the date for the investiture session.

The organic relief

By Feijóo's decision, Pérez Llorca will replace Mazón as party leader without a party congress or the appointment of an interim leadership. The new congress could be held in the fall of 2026, once the party has assessed whether Pérez Llorca has managed to revitalize the party in the Valencian Community and whether he is a strong candidate for the 2027 regional elections. If not, the most likely candidate would be the mayor of Valencia, María José Catalá. It is common practice in the People's Party (PP) for the regional leader to be the same person who holds the presidency of the regional government or who is running as a candidate.

The move announced by the Galician politician was questioned by Sumar, who criticized the fact that the acting Valencian president retains his seat in the Valencian Parliament. "Feijóo must explain very clearly why Mazón cannot preside over the Valencian PP, but can remain a member of parliament," said the Second Vice President of the Spanish government, Yolanda Díaz, in a post on Bluesky. Remaining as a member of parliament allows Mazón to maintain parliamentary immunity in the event of an investigation into his handling of the DANA storm in the case opened in the Catarroja court, which is already investigating the former Minister of Justice and the Interior, Salomé Pradas. In fact, this Tuesday the investigating magistrate requested the appearances of the president before the Congress of Deputies and the Valencian Parliament due to possible contradictions in the statements made by the acting head of the Valencian government. "In Mr. Carlos Mazón's appearance before the Congressional committee, he made several assertions that do not correspond to the content of the investigation," Nuria Ruiz Tobarra emphasized. Specifically, the judge points out that, according to the court's documentation, the Popular Party politician canceled three calls from Pradas at 4:29 p.m., 7:10 p.m., and 7:36 p.m., and these were not calls intended to keep the conservative leader from feeling threatened, as Mazón claims. Ruiz Tobarra also questions Mazón's statements regarding when the Cecopio (Center for Coordination of Police and Citizen Protection) became aware of the existence of victims. "It is difficult to pinpoint the start of the incident to the early morning of October 30th [as the conservative politician has stated], both because of the public statements made by the President of the Generalitat at the Emergency Center, in his appearance broadcast by À Punt at 00:35, and because of earlier elements in the documentation. The court records show that the 'multiple victims' protocol was activated at 00:31.

A 'circus' of an appearance"

And indeed, 24 hours later, Mazón's appearance yesterday is still causing a stir. Feijóo defended the acting Valencian president, saying he "has assumed his responsibilities at the highest level" and criticized the fact that no PSOE politician has done so. "My party is focused on reconstruction," said the Popular Party leader, who criticized the left-wing deputies for turning the committee into a "circus." Meanwhile, Compromís deputy Alberto Ibáñez, one of the parliamentarians who questioned Mazón, explained that his party will consider taking him to court because he "lies blatantly." The Valencian Socialists have already announced a lawsuit for "the crime of perjury."