Mazón demands "fair financing" and respect for "the Valencian identity" in a New October marked by rain and hail.

ValenciaDemanding an end to financial injustice, demanding greater resources for reconstruction after the disaster, and defending a unique Valencian identity that is supposedly in danger. The speech by the head of the Consell (Consell), Carlos Mazón, on the occasion of the celebration of the Nou d'Octubre (October 29th) was based on the pillars that have supported the PP's argument for months in an attempt to overcome the citizen disaffection caused by the handling of the tragedy of October 29th, which has catapulted Vox in polls.

The conservative politician based his account of this day—very special given that it takes place just days before the first anniversary of the catastrophe—on the following points: he called for a "fair regional financing system" and, until it arrives, "a temporary equalization fund"; he denounced that the "colossal" challenge of reconstruction is being carried out "with own resources" and is forcing the Generalitat (Catalan Government) to "resort to debt"; and, finally, he also said that "heritages such as the Valencian language" do not need "additions, quotation marks, slashes or hyphens [in reference to the Catalan-Valencian denomination]". The exceptional nature of this 9th of October has been exacerbated by the heavy rain alert (orange warning in central Valencia for Thursday, but red in the south tomorrow, Friday), which has forced the suspension of the Valencianist demonstration, the institutional event of the Generalitat - the first time - the first time. The traditional flag parade has, however, become a breath of fresh air for the head of the Consell, who has avoided the ordeal of being heckled by the citizens who attend the historic procession.

First interviews

In addition to Mazón's speech, the first two interviews given by the Conservative leader since the Dana also made the news this Thursday. The media outlets chosen by the Council leader were the newspaper The Provinces –the oldest conservative newspaper in the Valencian Community– and the Spanish far-right digital newspaper OKdiario. These interviews will be followed by another on the Valencian public broadcaster À Punt tonight at 9:30 p.m.

In both interviews, Mazón reiterated the argument he has put forward in recent months, according to which he gave no instructions to former minister Salomé Pradas regarding the time and content of the warning to the population—which was broadcast at 8:11 p.m., when most deaths occurred, but most deaths occurred at all times. He has also again accused the Spanish Meteorological Agency and the Júcar Hydrographic Confederation of an attempted news blackout, although the investigating judge in the case has ruled him out on several occasions.

Vox is the preferred option for young people.

Despite the judge's forceful rulings, the main electoral beneficiaries of the handling of the tragedy are not the progressive parties, but Vox. The far-right party would garner much of the support that the Popular Party would lose, meaning the right and the extremists would retain the Valencian government with 51 of the 99 seats in the Spanish Parliament. This is the main conclusion. from the survey made public this Thursday by the Prensa Ibérica group. According to the poll, the PP would fall from its current 40 seats to 34. The six seats it would lose would not go primarily to the Socialists, who would only add one, bringing the total to 32, but to Vox, which would accumulate 17 seats (it currently has 13). With this result, the right and far-right could continue governing—either with Abascal's party in the executive or with parliamentary support from outside. In contrast, Compromís would only add one, and would drop from 15 to 16.

The PP's greatest decline is concentrated in the Valencia district, the most affected by the Dana, where it would lose four seats. Vox would gain two seats. That's the same number that the far-right party would increase in the Castellón district. In Alicante, the variation is smaller: the PSPV takes one seat from the PP, while the rest remain unchanged. Along the same lines, and if we analyze the transfer of votes, the most significant is the 5.2% of voters leaving the PP and moving to Vox, compared to the 2023 elections.

The distribution of votes by age group also offers relevant data. Among those aged 18 to 30, Vox is the most popular party, with 23.2% of the votes—almost one in four young people—while the PSPV is the one with the least support. In this regard, it is worth noting that 8.3% of respondents identify as far-right, the highest percentage recorded so far in these polls.

The PP would have a better result without Mazón.

The survey also asked whether the results would change if the Popular Party decided to dispense with the leader of the Consell, Carlos Mazón. According to the poll, the PP's estimated number of seats would rise from 34 to 36 if the mayor of Valencia, María José Catalá, took over as the head of the electoral list. The president of the Valencia Provincial Council, Vicent Mompó, would also gain more than Mazón, who would get 35.

Like the Prensa Ibérica group, the daily The Country and SER have made public this Thursday a 40db survey which estimates that 71% support Mazón's resignation. In fact, 56% of PP voters also believe he should fold. It is worth noting that a few days ago another poll already pointed in the same direction, and even raised its percentage. This is the survey advanced by the Prensa Ibérica groupwhich estimated that 82% of Valencian Community citizens support Mazón's resignation. Furthermore, 90.2% affirm that, if he doesn't leave office, he shouldn't be the PP candidate in the next elections.