The wildfires that burned more than 30,000 hectares of forest across the Commonwealth of Valencia acted as fuel for partisan struggles. As political conflict intensified during the revolutions, both the Diputación de Alicante and the Generalitat prioritized fire management and prevention on their agendas. Everything points to an escalation of hostility, turning this moment into a broader contest where everyone feels under pressure.
Gabriela Bravo, minister of Justice, Home Affairs and Public Administration, is set to appear before the Permanent Delegation of the Courts on Thursday to report Generalitat’s actions in response to the summer fires. Yet Bravo’s prominence did not quell opposition. The parliamentary right has pressed for a broader inquiry, arguing that the discussion should extend beyond fires to incidents such as the fatal Medusa festival accident and the Castellón train crash near Bejís. The main opposition party, the PP, has urged for Ximo Puig, head of the Consell, to testify in Parliament. The trustees, led by María José Català, have signaled they will pursue this path. The PP contends that Puig should explain what went wrong during the Castellón incident that intersected a burning zone. Cs joined this push as well. Mireia Mollà, minister for the environment, questions why Bravo would alone cover fires while other critical events remain unexplained.
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The attack on the Mullah did not originate solely from Cs. The Diputación de Alicante, led by Carlos Mazón, directed substantial criticisms at the councilor from Elche. Institutionally, the Diputación issued a statement alleging that the Generalitat had “blocked 43 bushfire prevention plans in the province of Alicante.” Environmental Provincial Representative Miguel Ángel Sánchez described the Mullah administration as “chaotic and disastrous,” claiming he could not implement these prevention plans and noting that 101 municipalities in the Community lacked them. He added that, thanks to various calls supported by the institution, 56 municipalities in this legislature were able to prepare fire prevention plans, with financial benefits granted for 40 of them. He further stated that the Provincial General Assembly will allocate 1.5 million euros for deploying municipal fire prevention plans in 2023, and two million euros for afforestation projects and improvements to forest mass.
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The struggle against the Mullah within the provincial institution was not incidental. Earlier, Valencian spokesperson in the Diputación, Gerard Fullana, publicly questioned the volume of aid allocated to fire prevention by the Mazón-led institution (PP). He compared it to the funding from Diputación de València, noting that sixty investments were secured. Specifically, 400,000 euros from Alicante and 31 million euros from the institution led by Toni Gaspar were cited to illustrate the contrast.
Socialists from the Diputación joined the broader dispute as well. They recalled that it took 21 months to deliver the first aid to municipalities affected by the 2019 DANA disaster and urged Mazón to present an ambitious, realistic aid plan that moves quickly for communities affected by present fires. “Mazón cannot sell smoke and fail again when faced with a new natural disaster,” said spokesperson Toni Frances. He also called for coordination with the Generalitat to ensure the assistance is efficient and effective.