Carlos Mazón Is Concerned About the Show of Strength Francisco Camps is Preparing

The cultural building Veles e Vents in València will be filled this Saturday with more than 1,400 guests who will attend to listen to the former Valencian president Francisco Camps. The former Valencian president is going to make a superb display of internal strength. 

His resurrection after being acquitted unsettles Génova 13, which doesn't want him either as the party's president at the regional level or as a candidate in Valencia. Carlos Mazón is also scorched by his management of the dana and fearful that a change in internal forces might ultimately undermine him. 

New Party on the Horizon in the Valencian Right?

In Génova 13, they don't know how to stop the strength that Camps's project is gaining. "He has a brutal internal strength," acknowledge sources from the PP. The state and Valencian PP leaderships have been distancing themselves from Camps for some time. The leader "has a very damaged image despite the judicial acquittals," explain the same sources.

The state PP doesn't want to call a regional Congress. Some voices believe that from Madrid they should "promise a state position" to Camps for the future. This would help deflate a bubble that could harm the party internally. These internal problems come at a time when several polls predict that the left could regain power in the Valencian Community in 2027. 

Camps is politically rehabilitated judicially, but he remains an uncomfortable figure for the regional and national leadership. If he continues to be marginalized, some media believe he might choose to channel his energy into his own project.

The former president has connections with a part of the "old guard" of the Valencian PP (like Sonia Castedo). He could attract activists discontent with the current leadership or nostalgic for his era. The launch of a conservative Valencianist formation, similar to the defunct Unió Valenciana, could push the Levantine PP to the limit. 

Step Forward

In the environment of Mazón, concern is growing over Francisco Camps's movements. In May 2024, the former president took a step forward after being acquitted in the Gürtel case for contracts with companies of the Correa Group. Although legally he has come out clean, the shadow of the multiple corruption convictions during his tenure still weighs on his figure. From the PP, both at the regional and national levels, they visibly avoid showing themselves by his side. They do so despite the former president's insistence on claiming his innocence.

Camps, however, seems determined to regain prominence. He ignores the party's snubs. He is gathering support to force the calling of a regional Congress in July. He has taken advantage of his literary tour to measure his power of convocation and promote the book "Paco Camps. Reenfocando España," written by Javier Más.

"I am satisfied. The judges have proven me right," Camps told Levante-EMV, emphasizing his desire to reactivate the Valencian PP. He defends the need for congresses as a formula to revitalize the party and criticizes the stagnation that, according to him, it has suffered since 2015. "There is a lack of militancy, activity, conventions, and internal debate," he insists. He even points out that the internal passivity of the PP favored the rise of formations like Ciudadanos and Vox.

Moreover, Camps doesn't hide his desire to return to the forefront. "I want to contribute my experience", he states, recalling that when he was president, he dedicated entire weekends to the party. Another figure from the past seeking a comeback is the former mayor of Alicante, Sonia Castedo. Acquitted of several crimes, although she admitted to having had unethical conversations with the controversial builder Enrique Ortiz, she remains part of Camps's circle.

Situation of the Valencian Left

The Valencian left is going through a reconstruction phase after losing the regional Government in 2023. The PSPV-PSOE, led by Minister Diana Morant, is trying to regain prominence. It does so after a cycle in which Ximo Puig governed in coalition with Compromís and Unidas Podemos.

Compromís, meanwhile, tries to keep its space as a left-wing Valencianist force. But it suffers the consequences of institutional wear and the fragmentation of the progressive space. The effective disappearance of Podemos from the regional scene has left part of its voters orphaned.

Meanwhile, polls are beginning to show a slight recovery of the progressive bloc. This is fueled by the wear and tear of the PP and Vox Government. Especially after the controversial management of the dana.