Carlos Mazón Resigns as Valencia Leader Amid Flood Crisis Fallout

Mon Nov 03 2025 21:48:39 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

The president of Spain's Valencia region, Carlos Mazón, has stepped down following intense criticism over his government's handling of last year's deadly flash floods that resulted in 229 fatalities.

Carlos Mazón, the president of Valencia, resigned amidst mounting pressure regarding his poor management during the devastating floods that struck the region in October 2024, killing 229 people. His prolonged absence from crisis management meetings and failure to timely alert residents contributed to public outrage, leading to widespread protests demanding his resignation. Despite stepping down, Mazón intends to remain a member of the regional parliament, maintaining his political immunity.

The president of Spain's Valencia region, Carlos Mazón, has resigned after months of pressure over his handling of flash floods last year.

A total of 229 people died in towns in the Valencia region on 29 October 2024, with a further eight dying in neighbouring regions, in Spain's worst natural disaster for decades.

Many in Valencia blamed Mazón for the scale of the tragedy due to his government's response that day.

It emerged that the regional president had spent nearly four hours in a restaurant with a journalist, Maribel Vilaplana, while the floodwater was wreaking havoc, and he did not attend emergency meetings during much of the day.

Mazón's government also failed to issue an emergency alert to the phones of Valencia residents warning them of the floods until after 20:00, by which time dozens of people had already died.

I can't go on anymore... I know that I made mistakes, I acknowledge it and I will live with them for the rest of my life, Mazón said as he announced his decision, adding that he should have cancelled his schedule for that day to take charge of the crisis.

Polls had shown that the vast majority of people in Valencia wanted Mazón, of the conservative People's Party (PP), to step down due to his management of the floods.

Monthly protests demanding his resignation culminated on 25 October, when an estimated 50,000 people marched in Valencia. The mounting backlash had led Mazón to make fewer public appearances in recent months due to confrontations with angry citizens.

However, his insistence on attending the memorial service for victims on the tragedy’s anniversary last week infuriated relatives, who expressed their anger during the ceremony.

Mazón appeared visibly shaken by the events, prompting his decision to resign.

His announcement came the same day that Maribel Vilaplana, the journalist he lunched with during the floods, testified before a judge investigating potential negligence. Reports indicated that Mazón was engrossed in texting and receiving calls during the flood crisis.

Despite his resignation, Mazón will remain a member of the regional parliament, ensuring political immunity from prosecution.

During his resignation statement, he criticized the left-wing central government of Pedro Sánchez, accusing it of impeding aid to Valencia for political benefit.

Mazón's position had become increasingly precarious for the PP, raising concerns about electoral implications not just for Valencia but nationwide. The party now faces challenges in selecting a successor given their reliance on far-right Vox's parliamentary support in the region.

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