Carlos Mazón, President of the Valencia region in Spain, resigned due to a failure to respond to deadly floods
Kyiv • UNN
Carlos Mazón, president of Spain's Valencia region, has resigned following public outrage over the catastrophic 2024 floods that claimed 229 lives. Public protests and political pressure forced the People's Party leader to step down.
The President of the Spanish region of Valencia, Carlos Mazón, announced his resignation after a year of public outrage over the catastrophic consequences of the 2024 flood, which claimed the lives of 229 people. Public protests and political pressure forced the leader of the People's Party to step down, despite his prolonged attempts to retain power. This was reported by The Guardian, writes UNN.
Details
Mazón's decision was a response to increasing public pressure, which did not forgive the official's belated reaction to one of the most tragic natural disasters in Valencia's history.
During the flood that hit the region more than a year ago, Mazón spent three hours having lunch with a journalist while residents drowned in their homes and cars. This fact, revealed in investigations by local media, became a symbol of the authorities' negligence.
Protests under the slogan "Dirt on our hands, blood on his" swept dozens of cities in the region. Polls showed that three-quarters of Valencia residents demanded his immediate resignation.
I can't anymore
He also criticized the central government of Spain for, in his opinion, "ineffective support during the crisis," but did not specify whether he plans to call early elections or resign his parliamentary mandate.
Despite the pressure, Mazón previously justified that the government did not have the means to prevent record rains and claimed that he was in contact with rescue services even during the aforementioned lunch.
Public anger intensified after it became known that the emergency notification system did not warn residents until late in the evening, when most of the victims had already died.
The culmination of public condemnation was the memorial event on the anniversary of the tragedy: upon Mazón's arrival, those present chanted "murderer," "coward," "you belong in prison." At that time, he admitted that "some things should have worked better."