Carlos Flores Juberías is not just a candidate for leading the Generalitat in the upcoming regional elections. He serves on the Transparency Council for the PP and teaches constitutional law at the University of Valencia. A 2002 conviction for sexist violence adds a heavy dimension to the debate, drawing scrutiny not only on the far right faction but also on the Popular Party itself.
Sources within the PPCV leadership indicated yesterday a readiness to refresh the transparency body, a panel that has been idle since 2020 and has long been entangled in talks with other advisory groups. The message was clear: renewal is overdue, and it will be addressed once Puig signals approval. Representatives of the Popular group in the Cortes floated the idea of separating this entity, along with others, from the friction that has blocked renewal since November, specifically the Consell Jurídic Consultiu. They even suggested that the official appointee could come from the Puig administration so they could remove him with relative ease.
Convicted candidate backed by Vox raises questions for the Valencia PP
For the Valencia branch of the PP, the 2016 transparency proposal now appears as a two sided issue: securing Flores Juberías as Vox’s nominee and confronting a well known conviction for acts described as sexist violence, including 21 counts of coercion, insult, and unwarranted harassment against his first wife. The party, led by Carlos Mazón and María José Catalá, announced yesterday that they learned of Flores’s involvement in a gender based violence case. They stressed that any instance of gender based violence is a serious and regrettable matter in their view.
The Valencian leadership has kept its distance while acknowledging the report. Officials said the information came from public media and would be reviewed in due course. They underscored that gender based violence is a grave issue that requires careful consideration and pledged to address it with seriousness and transparency.
Vox endorsed the Generalitat nominee and indicated they were aware of the penalty
Transparency remains a central priority for Flores Juberías within the PP strategy. A member of the Valencian Community Electoral Board aligned with the Popular group after the retirement of professor Javier Orduña. Appointments to this board require cross party agreement, and the process typically hinges on formal nominations from each party. The PP contends that holding both party candidacy and a seat on the Election Board could be incompatible, and this is seen as an issue to be resolved soon.
Vox gave its support to Flores’s nomination after the conviction surfaced, implying that a right wing majority in the 2023 regional elections could elevate the professor to a vice presidency role within the Council, mirroring past arrangements in other regions such as Castilla y León under Mazón’s leadership. The Valencia PP, however, avoided a firm stance on this prospect yesterday, choosing to distance themselves. They cited a preference for pursuing a governing model similar to the one in Andalusia under Juanma Moreno Bonilla, aiming for a clear majority without coalitions. Yet recent polls have shown shifts between a technical draw and potential gains for the right, with PP and Vox growing closer within the broader right wing bloc.