Alex Trelinski
THE FAR-RIGHT Vox party will get a first taste of power in the Valencian government after a coalition deal was struck on Tuesday which will see the Partido Popular’s Carlos Mazon become president.
The PP and Vox won 53 seats between them in last month’s regional elections, while the socialists under Ximo Puig and far-left party Compromis, mustered 46 seats and refused to abstain if Mazon’s name was put forward in an investiture vote.
The main stumbling block over a PP-Vox accord was the Valencian Vox leader Carlos Flores who was convicted 20 years ago of domestic violence involving his former wife.
Flores will not become the vice-president and will instead be the top name on the Valencia list of Vox candidates for the July 23 general election.
On Monday, PP spokesperson Borja Semper said that Flores’ conviction was a ‘red line’ that made it impossible for him to get a Valencian government position
The new coalition deal means that Vox will take over the speaker’s position in the Valencian parliament- Les Corts.
The PP will also hold the vice-presidency while Vox will run some ministries in what will be a down-sized government team compared to the previous administration.
PP and Vox officials said they would govern on five principles: the freedom to choose in all walks of life including education; tax cuts; boosting health and social services; support for families as the ‘nucleus of society’; and protecting a unique ‘Valencian’ identity.
No date has yet been announced for Carlos Mazon’s investiture as president.
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