Juanfran Pérez Llorca: "Nobody has proposed me as the candidate" to succeed Mazón

Valencia / BarcelonaAmid the internal power struggle within the People's Party (PP) to choose Carlos Mazón's successor, the conservatives' spokesperson in the Valencian Parliament, Juanfran Pérez Llorca, asserted this Monday that "no one" has proposed him for the position of head of the Valencian Government (Consell) and that the responsibility for appointing the candidate lies with the PP's national leadership. He made these remarks after the parliamentary spokespersons' meeting, his first public statements since Mazón announced his resignation a week ago. Pérez Llorca indicated that he would only consider the option if asked, adding that there are "many qualified people" within his party for the position. "I can't deny that my name is being considered, because I am the number two in the Valencian PP and the party's spokesperson in the Valencian Parliament," admitted Pérez, who also affirmed that there is "ongoing" dialogue and "very fluid communication" between the two leaderships.

Pérez Llorca's most striking statement came when he claimed to be unaware of the meeting between the PP and Vox last Friday to discuss Mazón's successor, a circumstance the far-right party explained publicly in a statement. On Monday, Vox's Secretary General, Ignacio Garriga, stated that talks cannot progress until "the PP announces who their candidate is" and they can discuss the programmatic agreement directly with him. Furthermore, he emphasized that Vox is adopting a more discreet approach: "The media circus surrounding the talks with the PP will not be orchestrated by Vox."

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