The Minister of Culture and number 2 of Comuns-Front Ampli per Barcelona in the general elections, Ernest Urtasun, stated this Wednesday that the resignation of the Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Óscar Puente, "honors" him, and considered the designation of the First Vice President of the Government and Minister of Economy, Trade and Enterprise, Carlos Cuerpo, to assume the portfolio until the elections on November 29 to be logical.
In an interview on Radiocable, reported by Europa Press, Urtasun maintained that the gesture brings "decency" to politics and defended that the political responsibility of the position held as minister cannot be evaded.
"Óscar has made a gesture that honors him and that also distances us from what Mazón has been doing, dragging his feet for a year and a half, or what the Popular Party has accustomed us to, which is that no one ever resigns here when there are catastrophes of this type," said the leader.
Criticism of the railway model and infrastructure investment
Urtasun specified that he does not want Puente's resignation, nor his appearance this Tuesday before the Permanent Deputation of Congress, to serve to close the debate on the railway model in Spain. At that point, he asked that "not one more section" be liberalized and called the separation of Adif and Renfe a mistake.
The Minister of Culture lamented that investment in maintenance is half the European average, at 16% compared to 33%, and demanded more resources for commuter trains. In addition, he called it a "delusion" that the PSOE prioritizes investing 13,000 million in airport infrastructure for the period 2027-2031 rather than in railway transport.
The elections in the United States and the message to progressivism
Asked about the results of the midterm elections held this Tuesday in the United States, which show a Democratic victory in both chambers, Urtasun stated that this result represents a "monumental hope" for progressivism facing 29N and defended the role of the Government against US President Donald Trump.
"We have been maintaining positions that have had a very high cost, because this is a Government that has been heavily attacked for maintaining these positions, but I believe that little by little we are seeing how the world is turning towards what we alone have been maintaining in the last two years," he pointed out.
Ada Colau sees Carlos Cuerpo's election as "logical"
The candidate of Frente Amplio for the 29N elections, Ada Colau, stated in an interview on TVE, reported by Europa Press, that making Carlos Cuerpo responsible for the Transport portfolio after Óscar Puente's resignation is a "logical" and "coherent" decision, as he is a technical profile.
Colau also recalled that she reacted quickly to Puente's resignation, thanking him for this gesture, and maintained that stopping the opening of new high-speed sections is necessary to prioritize investment in maintenance. She also reflected on how Puente's resignation after the train accident in Urda (Toledo) could influence the vote by showing that "not everyone is the same" and that some assume political responsibilities while others "never do."
"I don't believe that Óscar Puente was directly guilty of this accident at all, but he did have political responsibility over the railway system. This was not the first accident, it was the second in less than a year and therefore a political response was necessary," reasoned the former mayor of Barcelona.
"Gesture of dignity" and call for a State pact
The Frente Amplio candidate stressed that when someone assumes high responsibilities, they must prioritize the general interest over the individual, and defended that the resignation is necessary to "turn the page," "talk about solutions for the railway system," and give "peace of mind" to the victims of the accident.
Furthermore, she described Puente's departure as a "gesture of dignity" which, in her opinion, "makes a difference" compared to the leaders of the PP and Vox, whom she reproached for having "no scruples" in using tragedies of this type electorally. Specifically, she cited Santiago Abascal's decision not to suspend his pre-campaign events after the accident and to use these "bad practices."
Colau warned both parties that "it's enough of trying to politically use this accident" and accused the president of the PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, and his counterpart in Vox, Santiago Abascal, of prescribing the generic formula of "cuts" for the railway system.
Regarding the election of Carlos Cuerpo, the Frente Amplio candidate for Moncloa insisted that it seems "logical" due to the short time remaining until the elections and considered it "coherent and understandable" that the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, has opted for a technical profile like that of the Minister of Economy.
Colau reiterated the call for a major State pact so that parties "rise to the occasion" and regain public leadership of the railway system, with measures such as reversing maintenance outsourcing. She also called for increased investment in Cercanías, the means of transport used by millions of people in their daily lives and which is experiencing "very serious problems."
On a basic issue, she added that "perhaps it would be to stop new inaugurations of new sections" and "invest in maintenance," and added that, although she defends that the railway should reach all provinces, "perhaps it is time to prioritize maintenance." In addition, she expressed that she is in favor of not cutting the AVE service between Madrid and Catalonia, although "it must always be linked to what the experts determine."
Meanwhile, the Frente Amplio candidate for Moncloa admitted that the performance of the progressive Government has been "insufficient," as it has been limited in Congress by the blockade of Junts, although she defended that positive measures have been applied during the legislature, such as the increase in the minimum wage.
Regarding the general strike on November 11, the candidate expressed her support and wished it to be a "success," considering that the mobilization will give "a lot of strength" to those who have been demanding bolder housing policies for years.
Housing, strike, and criticism of the PSOE
Colau pointed out that the housing decrees to be voted on next week in the Permanent Deputation of Congress would not have been possible without the "fight" maintained in the Council of Ministers by the Sumar ministers, and accused the PSOE of having believed for a long time that the housing market self-regulated.
The candidate contrasted that the PSOE has been complicit with "real estate speculation" and limits itself to managing inequality, while her political space aspires to transform society. She also assured that the strike for the right to housing generates "great discomfort" for Feijóo, understanding that his position in Congress has favored the decay of decrees such as those aimed at extending rent.