It is not without humor that the Consell de Mazón, which took an eternity to launch an SOS to the Military Emergency Unit (UME) on the fateful October 29 and which requested soldiers drop by drop in the days following, will now have as vice-president an army lieutenant general. Uniformed reservist Francisco José Gan Pampols has held responsibilities in missions in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo and Afghanistan and his track record is so excellent that he would hardly have become director general if he had tried to reach this position. “government of the best” by civil means. itinerary.
The fact that the new vice-president said yes to the radioactive Mazón says a lot about the sense of duty and commitment to the Valencian lands of this Catalan from Figueres, who lives in Zaragoza and who spent a few years stationed at the headquarters of Bétera. But I regret to inform you, General, that the tormented Honorable Molt did not choose you to be responsible for developing and executing plans for the reconstruction of the regions devastated by DANA because of your value.
cosmetic operation
Mazón, cornered, executed a surprise double-route strategy. On the one hand, it is a cosmetic operation with which the head of the Consell wants to camouflage himself behind the good image and reputation of the Armed Forces. Unlike other institutions (like the Monarchy), the Army has gained credit through its peace missions abroad, for its actions during the pandemic or for its deployment at the moment in municipalities destroyed by water . An NC Report survey found that 80 percent of Spaniards have a good or very good opinion of the military. The columns of vehicles entering Horta Sud are the antithesis of the tanks that another soldier, Jaime Milans dels Bosch, ordered to roll through Valencia on the night of February 23, 1981.
That no one in the PP is reinforced
But there is a second reason why Mazón called you, General. And it is my duty to let you know. The president staged a coup to perpetuate himself at the Palau de la Generalitat. There are electoral self-coups a la Nicolás Maduro or, in a more pyrotechnic version, the one carried out in July 2016 by the Nicaraguan Daniel Ortega to rely on power and erase the opposition. Then there is the outright military self-coup, like that led by the corrupt Alberto Fujimori in Peru in April 1992.
And to the list of self-attacks, we must add the one just perpetrated by Carlos Mazón. A coup within the People’s Party that left Feijóo himself speechless. A self-coup that proves useful in fulfilling his humorous pledge to resign in a deferred manner if he fails in the goal of reconstruction. In Castro’s speech (due to its length) during his appearance last Friday at the Corts, he promised that he would not repeat it if he failed in reconstruction. He did not specify what success indicators he would apply. It doesn’t matter. What is guaranteed with this nomination is that whatever happens, the military Francisco José Gan Pampols will not contest the candidacy to be an electoral poster in 2027. Although the most effective management is dedicated to recovering from the effects of DANA (let’s hope so anyway), this political capital will not accrue to any party member. No popular leader, aspiring leader, or even a minor office will gain political clout if reconstruction policies succeed.
Time is on Mazón’s side
Better yet, if that happens, Mazón will be there to drain all that capital. Feijóo or the González Pons commando can now rush to plot to remove the president of the Generalitat from his seat (with or without the help of the Valencian opposition) because the dying man is convinced that time is turning in his favor.
Gan Pampols can become the reference of this Council if he succeeds in a difficult mission like few others on the right track. Although, all being said, it does not seem very difficult to stand out in an executive in difficulty (Councillor Salomé Pradas herself) and with an appointed president who, most likely, will intervene in court. In the formation dominated by Zaplanism (Mazón, Susana Camarero, Miguel Barrachina or José Antonio Rovira), Marian Cano entered Industria. Those who know her say she is more than prepared. But if it was named, it is because it belongs to the Cano saga, led by the mayor of La Nucia, Bernabé Cano. Who was a Zaplanist (via Diego Such), then a campist and again a Zaplanist, blessed by Mazón. La Nucia understands little about reconstruction but is the epicenter of construction-related corruption. Sorry to recommend The servant’s tentaclesbut in this book the links between Gürtel and the Azud affair are explained in thousands of details, with the star promoters of the bites of the region’s protagonists as well as politicians like the mayor Bern Cano, former advisor Tel or Eduardo Zaplana.
A soldier among the mines
And in this panorama dotted with popular mines and others which will arise from conflicts with the central government, arrives the lieutenant general. A man who, someone who knows him well tells me, is, in addition to being a Joaquín Sabina enthusiast and an admirer of Alexander the Great, an accomplished mountaineer. Among its milestones, let us mention the reaching of the three extreme poles: the North, the South and Everest. A high command who headed the Military Academy of Zaragoza, where Felipe VI and, later, Princess Leonor received military training. A man who led the charge at CIFAS, the Army Intelligence Center. Forgive me for insisting, General, but you’ll need a lot of military intelligence to sneak up on zombie Carlos Mazón.
