Patxi López vindicates Óscar Puente's management
The spokesperson for the PSOE in Congress and head of the list for Congress for Vizcaya, Patxi López, has stated that the decision of the Minister of Transport, Óscar Puente, to resign, has made it clear that “not all of us are the same”, while defending his actions after the serious accident in Urda (Toledo).
In an informative breakfast of Fórum Europa-Tribuna Euskadi, Patxi López maintained that, in the case of the accident, Óscar Puente “did not get distracted, did not disappear, nor was he in the ‘Ventorro’”, in allusion to the president of the Generalitat Valenciana, Carlos Mazón, for his role in the DANA in Valencia.
Criticism of the PP for the management of other tragedies
The socialist leader took his argument a step further and asked, rhetorically, “has anyone ever seen any PP leader assume any responsibility for the Prestige, for the YAK-42, for the Angrois accident, for the Valencia metro incident, for the Madrid residences, for the DANA?”.
Patxi López explained that, during his intervention in the Permanent Commission of Congress, he defended Óscar Puente for three reasons he considered fundamental. The first, he said, was “being where he had to be”, as the minister remained from the first moment at the command post in Atocha, following rescue efforts, giving instructions and continuously gathering information.
“He did not get distracted, he did not disappear, he was not in any ‘Ventorro’ having a good time,” insisted López, who stressed that Puente remained in the coordinating device, with direct monitoring of the evolution of the accident and emergency tasks.
Transparency, appearance and government measures
The second argument put forward by the socialist spokesperson was that the minister “faced the music”. At this point, he highlighted that he did not resort to escapism, that he offered available information “practically in real time” and that, in less than a week, he appeared on his own initiative before the Permanent Deputation, submitting to the criticism and evaluations of the different parliamentary groups.
As a third element, Patxi López pointed out that Óscar Puente did “what had to be done”, by bringing to the Council of Ministers in six days a decree with aid for the victims and a package of measures aimed at reinforcing the safety of the railway network and restoring confidence in the service.
“He did what had to be done and then resigned, in a gesture and with a discourse of political and ethical stature that we have rarely seen in this country,” said López, before insisting that this behavior highlights the idea that “not all of us are the same”.
Two electoral scenarios, according to the socialist leader
During his speech, Patxi López also linked this message to the political context of the upcoming elections. “If we are here today, it is because on November 29 there are elections,” he recalled, before emphasizing that voters not only choose a ballot, but also the political scenario that will open the next day.
“There are only two,” assured the spokesperson for the PSOE, stating that on November 30 there will be “a progressive government presided over by Pedro Sánchez” or “a regressive government with the coalition of Feijóo and Abascal.” López maintained that these elections will decide between advancing or regressing, and framed the electoral event in the dilemma between “four more years of progress” or “four decades of setbacks.”
