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Carlos Mazón, the heavily criticised leader of Spain’s Valencia region, announced his resignation on Monday, one year after the area experienced the country’s deadliest natural disaster in a generation.
Mazón stated in a televised address that he “can’t go on anymore,” citing the intense “criticism, noise, hatred, and tension” directed at him.
The leader had faced relentless public scrutiny over his regional administration’s management of the October 29, 2024, floods, which killed over 230 people.
Critics pointed out severe failures in the emergency response, noting that mobile alerts were sent to residents after flooding had already begun in some areas.
Crucially, these regional alerts came more than 12 hours after the national weather agency had issued its highest-level warning for torrential rain.
Despite the escalating crisis, Mazón admitted on Monday that he “should have cancelled my appointments,” after reports highlighted he proceeded with a long lunch on the day of the catastrophe.
Mazón had consistently rebuffed resignation calls, defending his actions by claiming the magnitude of the crisis was unforeseeable and that central government warnings were insufficient.
His public standing reached a low point last week when relatives of the victims confronted him at a memorial service, shouting accusations like “murderer” and “coward.”
