Vicent Mompó: the possible replacement for Mazón who backtracked to protect him

ValenciaAt the start of the crisis triggered by the handling of the devastating storm, the president of the Valencia Provincial Council, Vicent Mompó, became, for many, the epitome of what the head of the Valencian Government, Carlos Mazón, should have done. At 2:00 p.m. on October 29, the provincial body suspended all institutional activity and sent its employees home. Furthermore, Mompó voluntarily joined the Civil Protection Coordination Center (CECOPIO) at 5:45 p.m., almost three hours before Mazón. Aware of this positive image, in the days following the catastrophe, the mayor of Gavarda was one of the few PP leaders who did not shy away from the media. However, as time has passed, his stance has shifted, aligning with the official line from the Generalitat Palace. So much so, that now He could be the replacement for the Valencian presidentAmong the examples of this transformation are his statements on the program Saved last December, when he said that Mazón had arrived at Cecopio at 6:30 p.m., while in reality he arrived at 8:28 p.m., a circumstance that he later admitted.

Another contradiction arose when he stated on the La Sexta program that the provincial deputy for Firefighters, Avelino Mascarell, had informed him around 6:00 p.m. about the critical situation in the Poio ravine, and that he had spoken by phone with Mazón about "the content" of the alert before it was issued. He also said they had discussed whether to "alert a part of the province, specific districts, or the entire province." He contradicted himself in his statement to the judge on July 17, when he claimed it was "impossible that I spoke with Mazón about ES-Alert," because its use wasn't discussed at the Cecopio (Provincial Emergency Coordination Center) until 7:00 p.m. He said he had indeed spoken by phone with the Consell (Island Council) "at 5:46 p.m.," but didn't remember "what" they had discussed. Regarding the overflowing of the Poio ravine, he finally admitted that he hadn't spoken with Mascarell until 9:00 p.m. The contradictions resurfaced this week when, in an interview on TVE, he stated that "she [Salomé Pradas] was in charge of the emergency, not the president." Before the judge, however, he said that he "didn't perceive" Pradas to be "the one in charge," but rather the technicians.

Mompó's shift has also included a gradual, albeit less pronounced, assimilation into the secessionist linguistic discourse of the Palau de la Generalitat. He has embraced the argument that an elitist language model must be abandoned and replaced with the "Valencian of the people." This comes as a cold shower for those who point out that he always speaks in Catalan and doesn't hesitate to confront Vox in its defense: "I have principles, and Valencian is one of those I don't want to touch." summarized a few weeks agoIt is also a disappointment for those who remember when, in December 2022, at a rally, a supporter shouted at him to speak in Spanish, and Mompó went to ironically suggest that cordial bilingualism Feijóo defended that "there is still work to be done" in the Valencian Community.