Manuel Arribas doubts that Alberto Núñez Feijóo will condemn the appearance of a coffin bearing a photograph of Pedro Sánchez on the balcony of the Hoyocasero Town Hall (Ávila). In an interview on ‘Noticias de Verdad’, the podcast of ‘ElConstitucional.es’, the socialist deputy accused the PP of hardening its discourse to compete with Vox for the most radical electorate.
Asked if the president of the PP should comment on what happened, Arribas expressed his skepticism and alluded to Feijóo's support for Carlos Mazón. In his opinion, the popular leadership seeks to “muddy politics, turn everything into a quagmire” and “they try to increasingly resemble Vox.” The deputy maintains that both parties compete for the same sector of the electorate and links this dispute to the tone that, in his opinion, the PP has adopted.
The interview also raised the inverse scenario: if the coffin had carried a photograph of Feijóo, would Sánchez have condemned what happened? “Well, I have no doubt,” Arribas replied. The candidate defended that attacks on public officials must be condemned regardless of their party affiliation. “We do not understand violence as a way of doing politics,” he added.
Hoyocasero: Arribas asks for collaboration to identify the perpetrators
The deputy explained that he received the images of the coffin next to the official flags at half-mast with “considerable sadness.” As mayor of Sanchidrián, he recalled that the Town Hall is “the home of all residents,” including those who have not voted for the governing party. Although he admits that Halloween lends itself to satire, he rejects its use to stage the death of a person.
Asked about the actions of the mayor of Hoyocasero, Iván Picós (PP), who condemned the events, disassociated the Town Hall, and reported that the Consistory had filed a complaint with the Civil Guard. Arribas welcomed the mayor's denunciation of what happened and called for "maximum collaboration" with investigators to identify the perpetrators. "I am not here to accuse anyone," he clarified.
Regarding whether the PSOE would demand accountability if the investigation confirmed the involvement of any municipal official, Arribas announced that the socialists would try to bring the facts to the attention of the Prosecutor's Office so that what happened can be clarified. “Whoever it may be, this act cannot go unpunished,” he stated.
The resignation of Puente and the replacement of Carlos Cuerpo
Arribas also referred to the departure of Óscar Puente from the Ministry of Transport. He acknowledged that his friendship with him conditions his assessment and stated that the former minister "gave a master class on what political decency is." In his opinion, Puente assumed political responsibility for the railway accidents, something he distinguishes from blame for what happened.
The deputy said that he accompanied Puente after the announcement of his resignation and that he told him on several occasions that his departure seemed unfair to him. According to his account, the former minister disagreed and told him that, with his departure, the election campaign would start again.
Regarding Carlos Cuerpo, Arribas highlighted his "much more technical, much calmer, more composed" profile and considered that he can contribute to restoring citizens' confidence in high-speed rail. When talking about Puente's future, he left open the possibility of his return to the political forefront: "This is not a goodbye forever, I think this is a see you soon."
