Carlos Mazón Resigns as Valencia Leader
Carlos Mazón Resigns: One Year After Valencia Flood Tragedy That Claimed 229 Lives
President of Spain's Valencia region resigns after acknowledging crisis management failures. Politician plans to retain his seat for parliamentary immunity and take a medical leave.
Valencia, November 3, 2025 — In a dramatic address to the public, Carlos Mazón, President of the Valencian Community, announced his resignation from office. The decision comes one year after the devastating DANA floods on October 29, 2024, which claimed 229 lives in the region and eight more in neighboring provinces—making it the deadliest natural disaster in modern Spanish history.
"I can no longer continue. I acknowledge the mistakes made during an unprecedented situation, and I will live with them for the rest of my life," Mazón said in an emotional speech delivered at the Palau de la Generalitat. A member of the People's Party (PP), he stated that criticism following the tragedy had "crossed all boundaries" and become "cruel." While he accused Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's central government (PSOE) of delaying aid for "political reasons," he emphasized: "We are all responsible."
The flooding, caused by biblical rainfall (an entire year’s precipitation in just eight hours), exposed systemic failures: delayed emergency alerts to mobile phones (SMS messages sent after 8 PM, when streets were already flooded), lack of river flood defenses, and late arrival of officials at the crisis center. On the day of the disaster, Mazón spent nearly four hours dining with journalist Mariam Villaplana—a moment that became symbolic of the scandal. Today, Villaplana testified in court investigating possible negligence (charged under "involuntary manslaughter").
A year later, Valencia is still recovering: neighborhoods lie in ruins, and damages amount to billions of euros. Monthly protests (the latest on October 25 with 50,000 participants) and opinion polls (75% favoring resignation) weakened Mazón’s position. At the October 29 memorial, victims’ families booed him, shouting "murderer" and "coward."
Mazón will retain his seat in the regional parliament to maintain parliamentary immunity and is taking a "medical leave." He thanked residents for their support and urged his coalition partner, the right-wing party Vox, to "act responsibly" in selecting a successor. PP leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo confirmed that Vox must "accelerate" the process. A potential candidate is Juanfran Pérez Llorca from PP.
Flood victims reacted sharply: the victims' families association called the speech "painful and meaningless," demanding prison sentences and early elections. Experts link the disaster to climate change, which has doubled the likelihood of such storms.
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Sources: BBC, The Guardian, AP News, El País.