Why doesn't Mazón, cornered by the judge, resign?

ValenciaFour and a half months after the DANA of October 29, the epicenter of Valencian politics has moved from the Palace of the Generalitat to the City of Justice in Valencia, where Judge Nuria Ruiz Tobarra is investigating the case regarding the handling of the disaster. Transferred from the Catarroja courts, also affected by the severe flooding, the judge's revelations have become the main obstacle to the continuation of the head of the Council, Carlos Mazón, who continues to refuse to resign and has found his main ally in Vox.

To survive judicially, and who knows if politically, the Valencian president has needed to increasingly delay the time he arrived at the Integrated Operational Coordination Center (Cecopi)—the latest version is 8:28 p.m.—in order to avoid the delay in the arrival of the Minister of Justice and the Interior, Salomé Pradas, and the former regional Secretary of Emergencies, Emilio Argüeso. Those days are long gone when Mazón seemed content to blame the Generalitat's inaction on the alleged lack of information from the Júcar Hydrographic Confederation and the Spanish Meteorological Agency. The one who made this story unviable was precisely Ruiz Tobarra, who in his resolutions stressed that the warning to the population "was late and erroneous", that the DANA "was not an unforeseen meteorological phenomenon", that the Cecopio should have met "in the morning" and not at 5 p.m. and at 5 p.m.

The judge's conclusions have represented such a resounding attack on Mazón's waterline that the Valencian politician has needed the help of Vox, which, through its spokesman in the Cortes, José María Llanos, has criticized the judge and demanded that she avoid making considerations and "only". Uncomfortable with the accusations leveled at the head of the Consell and with the perception that the Alicante leader is holding on because the far-right party won't let him fall, Llanos said that Vox does not support a person or a government, but rather "the people of Valencia" and the specific measures that the regional executive takes to the regional Parliament and that they consider "good." However, and to make Vox's position clear, the far-right spokesman echoed Santiago Abascal's words and asserted that now is not the time for "resignations."

With hardly any media coverage

One of the curious aspects of the current Valencian political crisis is that at times it seems that the party most defending Mazón is Vox. This seemed to be the case this Thursday when the leader of the People's Party (PP), Alberto Núñez Feijóo, was asked about the situation of the head of the Consell (Consell). The Galician politician simply replied that he continues to hold the "same opinion" as until now—without clarifying what it is—because there has been "no developments" since the publication of the court ruling indicting Pradas and Argüeso. "We let things happen and continue to pay attention to the events," Feijóo added.

The PP president's verbal restraint is not surprising considering that Mazón has increasingly less support, also among the media right. A clear example is that this week the newspaper Abc showed him the exit door to the head of the Consell with a very explicit editorial. They have also been occasionally critical of the Valencian politician during these four months, daily as The World and The reasonHe has shown himself to be much more understanding. The Spanish, a newspaper to which Mazón's team has granted the first interviews and through which they have channeled some information leaks.

Why is Mazón resisting?

But then why is Mazón holding out? Aside from his refusal, one of the reasons why the Alicante politician is staying in his position is the difficulty of finding a replacement. The leading candidate, María José Catalá, is currently on the Valencia City Council, and moving her would not be a good deal because she lacks a reliable replacement. The other desired candidate, Susana Camarero, the First Vice President and spokesperson for the Consell (Consell), cannot be a candidate because she is not a member of the Corts (Spanish Parliament). Outside of them, the PP sees no one up to the task.

And the need to negotiate a change with Vox makes replacing Mazón even more difficult. At this point, we must consider whether the far-right party is better off replacing the leader of the Council or prefers to wear him down and capitalize on the polls. Most electoral analysts point out that in situations of institutional discredit, the parties that grow the most are those that are outside governments and have an anti-system discourse, two requirements that the far-right party perfectly meets. Another factor that could favor the continuity of the Valencian president is that Vox is experiencing very turbulent times in Valencia, after Two of its four councilors have moved to the non-attached group. Too much noise to go to the polls now.

The PSOE may also be having doubts about whether Mazón's resignation is in their best interest. The constant twists and turns of the script by the Valencian Socialists have attracted a lot of attention. On Wednesday, they decided not to lead a motion of no confidence, and now They are demanding an early election, which they know is very difficult.Perhaps, like Vox, the PSOE also intends for the president to gradually become politically roasted. To make a real move, perhaps they're hoping that Pradas and Argüeso's statement—still undated—will spill the beans on the head of the Consell. And finally, the person who is perhaps least interested in leaving office is Mazón himself, as this would allow him to maintain his privileged status. Furthermore, if he reaches July 13th, he will have served 24 months in office and will guarantee himself two years of the former president's salary—€75,000 per year—which will increase to fifteen years if he completes his term. There's very little incentive to resign, beyond admitting to his management mistakes.