War within the PP over Mazón's succession

Valencia / BarcelonaAn internal power struggle has erupted within the People's Party (PP) over the selection of Carlos Mazón's successor, just hours before the acting Valencian president is due to appear before the parliamentary commission investigating the devastating floods. The conservatives' spokesperson in the Valencian Parliament, Juanfran Pérez Llorca, asserted on Monday that "no one" has proposed him for the position of head of the Valencian government and that the decision rests with the party's national leadership. These were his first public statements since the incident a week ago. Mazón will announce his resignationWith these words, the politician from Finestrat has dramatized the tension within the party. He also indicated that the ball is now in the court of the executive committee, which, at this moment, has not made any decision. "We want to set the pace," sources from the party leadership on Génova Street in Madrid told ARA, admitting that the name "has not been decided." A sign of the uncertainty within the PP is that its leader, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, chose not to dedicate a single word to the Valencian crisis this Monday. At an event in Melilla, where he convened his leadership, he limited himself to praising the early elections in Extremadura and reiterated a litany of criticisms of the Spanish government. "There are no updates. When we know in the coming hours or days, we will announce it," sources from Génova repeated regarding the candidate Feijóo will have to choose. According to sources, Mazón's replacement will be chosen by the national leadership, "just like a candidate in any eventual regional elections." They add, however, that the selection will be made "in coordination" with the Valencian PP. "The candidate is one thing, and the negotiations are another," the same sources emphasize, while avoiding giving details of last Friday's meeting between Vox and Mazón's PP. Once the candidate is chosen, the Valencian PP will take the lead in the talks, with "oversight" from the national headquarters in Madrid, which maintains that it "will not write" the agreement. The talks to appoint the successor to the head of the Valencian government have been stalled for days due to the power struggle between the Valencian and national leadership. After the tumultuous funeral of the victims of the DANA storm and the Mazón's decision to foldThe leadership of the Valencian Popular Party (PP) promoted Juanfran Pérez Llorca as an interim replacement and the president of the Valencia Provincial Council, Vicent Mompó, for the 2027 election. This move was intended to prevent the national leadership from imposing the name of the mayor of Valencia, María José Catalá. The regional PP's maneuver greatly angered the PP leadership in Madrid, which has since decided to control the entire renewal process. The fracture within the Valencian PP also explains the resistance from the national headquarters in Madrid (Génova) to calling elections, given that the election of a new leader would trigger a power struggle within the party. Former Valencian president Francisco Camps would also be a contender in this race. On Monday, in a television interview, he stated that, in his opinion, if citizens were called to the polls, the PP should first hold primary elections.

Maximum uncertainty

It is in this context of uncertainty that Pérez Llorca's statements on Monday can be understood. He reiterated that the party had not offered him the leadership and that he would only consider the option if asked to be the candidate. "I can't deny that my name is on the table, because I'm the number two in the Valencian PP and the spokesperson in the Valencian Parliament," admitted the Popular Party leader, who also maintained that there is "permanent" dialogue and "very fluid" communication between the Valencian and national leadership. What is striking about Pérez Llorca's statement is that he seems unaware that a meeting took place last Friday between the PP and Vox to discuss Mazón's succession, a circumstance that the far-right party is aware of. explain publicly through a statementFrom Vox, its Secretary General, Ignacio Garriga, reiterated today on RNE radio that talks cannot progress until "the PP announces who its candidate is" and they can speak directly with him about the programmatic agreement. He also stated that Vox will opt for discretion: "The media circus surrounding the talks with the PP will not be orchestrated by Vox." Sources within the far-right party, consulted by ARA, explain that, at this point, "there are no new developments" and that negotiations are stalled until Feijóo makes a decision. However, they maintain that Pérez Llorca "is not lying," according to knowledgeable sources. These statements highlight the internal turmoil within the PP, which is navigating the power vacuum left by the resignation of Mazón, whose resignation has opened a Pandora's box. According to Vox, this has hampered the progress of the talks. The far-right party insists that once the People's Party (PP) has a clear candidate, negotiations will bear fruit if the conservatives concede to their demands to eliminate any initiative related to the European Green Deal and to toughen immigration policies with measures such as establishing "national priority" in public aid. The far-right party feels empowered to be more demanding than ever. If there is no agreement, Vox claims it is not afraid of "elections," which it would enter with the significant growth predicted by the polls. This was stated by the Vox spokesperson in the Valencian Parliament, José María Llanos, who asserted on Monday that they have "no fear" of elections: "We are prepared." In any case, they claim that the name of the candidate the PP proposes to replace Mazón is "indifferent" to them, but they want to know in order to negotiate the government program afterward.

Mazón's statement without the victims

This Tuesday, all eyes will be on Mazón's appearance before the commission investigating the DANA storm. Families of the victims of the torrential rains will not be allowed to attend. According to the PSPV (Valencian Socialist Party), the commission's chair—Míriam Turiel of Vox—has allocated all available invitations to advisors and high-ranking officials of the Valencian Government.