Juanfran Pérez Llorca begins his term by asking "forgiveness" to the victims of the DANA storm.

ValenciaAs he announced during the investiture session last Thursday, the new president of the Valencian Generalitat, Juanfran Pérez Llorca, began his term by asking for "forgiveness" from the families of the victims of the DANA storm. "Neither on the 29th nor in the days that followed did the public administrations live up to what society deserved," he acknowledged before expressing his hope that his words would foster "reconciliation" within Valencian society. The politician from Finestrat opted for an austere inauguration. It was also non-denominational, given that he chose to make a promise rather than take an oath of office. The session began after a minute of silence in memory of former president José Luis Olivas, who passed away last Saturday.

In a 12-minute speech, the new president of the Generalitat called for politics to cease being a "frontcourt" and a space for confrontation, and instead become a tool for solving citizens' problems, among which he cited employment, housing, and bureaucracy. According to Pérez Llorca, citizens are not demanding "privileges," but simply that things "work." He placed particular emphasis on housing, which he defined as the "central focus" of his government, and asserted that "more supply" and "greater legal certainty" are needed—words that seemed to be an attempt to appease Vox and its demand for zero tolerance regarding employment. "I strongly believe in dialogue and agreement; I want this term to be remembered for that," he stated, trying to build bridges with the opposition. "We were able to reach an agreement when everything seemed broken; amidst the noise, we will change course; that is the way forward, that is how we move forward together," he added.

Along the same lines, he indicated his intention to leave behind the "year of tension" experienced in the wake of the DANA storm, during which he asserted that the administrations had "distanced themselves from the victims and those affected" by the catastrophe. "They don't deserve to feel any more alone. If we want to move forward, we need to put an end to these debates that only generate resentment," he argued before assuring that his administration would be "open, participatory, cross-party, and non-sectarian."

One of the most striking images of the session was the location of former president Carlos Mazón, who sat in the last row of the Valencian conservatives' seats, next to the Vox representatives. This occurred the day after it was made public that the PP had rewarded him by increasing his salary as spokesperson for a commission that never meets.

Only the secretary general of the Spanish conservatives, Miguel Tellado, attended the event representing the state leadership of the People's Party (PP). He stated that Pérez Llorca would be "the president of reconstruction" and that he "will not fail" the citizens. Unlike two years ago, when the president of the Madrid region, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, attended Mazón's inauguration, no PP regional president supported the new head of the Valencian government this Tuesday. Regarding the members of Pedro Sánchez's cabinet, the person responsible for representing the State in the Valencian Parliament was the Spanish government's delegate in the Valencian Community, Pilar Bernabé.

Uncertainty surrounds the changes in the Council

Pérez Llorca's next step will be to announce the composition of his cabinet. At this point, no details have been released, and everything is speculation about how many of Carlos Mazón's advisors will remain and whether there will be many changes.

Vox: "The investiture is not a blank check"

Another unknown factor in the session was whether Pérez Llorca's appointment would bring the PP and Vox closer together. However, the far-right party has not changed its strategy and did not applaud the head of the Valencian government's speech, just as they did not during the investiture. Furthermore, at the end of the session, the spokesperson for the far-right party, José María Llanos, warned that their support was not a "blank check" and that they would be scrutinizing the conservative politician "from now on." They also declined to comment on Mazón's appointment as president of a parliamentary committee, given his reputation.

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