Lorca rules out asking Mazón for his resignation because "women are stripped of their popular sovereignty"

ValenciaThe president of the Valencian Generalitat, Juanfran Pérez Llorca, stated that parliamentary seats "are neither granted nor withdrawn by any politician," but rather belong to "popular sovereignty," and defended Carlos Mazón's actions, asserting that he had already "assumed his political responsibility" by resigning as head of the Consell. He made these remarks to the media on Thursday after attending a tribute in Valencia to the professor and politician Manuel Broseta, commemorating the 34th anniversary of his assassination by ETA. Llorca reiterated that with his resignation, Mazón had already "assumed his political responsibility." "He acknowledged his mistakes and assumed the full responsibility he had," he summarized when asked if the PP would take advantage of the parliamentary recess in Les Corts. The parliament will not reconvene until February 9th to formally request the resignation of its predecessor. The Valencian president reiterated that "membership in parliament is neither given nor taken away by a politician; it is granted and withdrawn by popular sovereignty, that is, by the voters when they vote," and emphasized that "the Valencian people already carried out this exercise in the last regional elections." In his statements, the head of the Valencian government avoided clarifying whether Mazón will continue as a member of parliament until the end of the legislature if he so wishes, or whether, on the contrary, the People's Party (PP) will demand his resignation, as the victims' associations of the disaster are demanding as a prerequisite for a meeting with Llorca.

In addition to his position as a member of parliament, which prevents him from being charged in the DANA case as long as the investigating judge does not refer the case to the High Court of Justice, Mazón also enjoys the status of former president, a circumstance that has allowed him to appoint his next chief of staff, José Manuel, with an annual salary of 60,000 euros and to have a secretary and driver.