This Friday, the same day that the President of the Valencian Generalitat, Carlos Mazón, appeared in Parliament to report on his management of DANA and denounced the central government as guilty of the chaos, a very significant message was launched from Moncloa.: Juanma Moreno, President of the Board of Directorsalso from the PP like Mazón, is an “example” of how the storm was faced.
Beyond fueling the political confrontation between the central government and from the Valencian, the message of Pedro Sánchez’s team is a stimulus for the strategy of the executive of Juanma Moreno and his theory of institutional loyalty, which he has been repeating since the first rains in Valencia.
When the storm reached Andalusia, two things were gained: the experience that prevention was “better than cure” – an exact phrase that Moreno even uttered when explaining why schools were closed this week – and that it is better to collaborate with other establishments so as not to add a political problem to a problem of meteorological origin. In the retina, the inhabitants of Valencia throw mud against the politicians during the institutional visit a few days after the floods.
The Andalusian government seems to be right in both cases. Another relevant fact: during the appearance of the secretary general of the PSOE of Andalusia, Juan Espadas, in which he accused the Andalusian government of his complaint for a possible case of corruptionpaused and noted: “Now the main thing is that Moreno continues to tackle the climate crisis and DANA. I came to talk about it because the media already had the data.”
This statement raises two key issues: political coordination and, moreover, a different style of opposition to that observed in Valencia. The PSOEin Andalusia, gave space and showed loyalty.
Juan Espadas
This was seen in public, as during Espadas’ intervention, but also in private. During a conversation in a corridor last Thursday at Parliament, a The PSOE deputy stressed that DANA had put the Andalusian government to the testbut he had passed the exam. And his party was not willing to play politics on such serious issues.
This socialist position was joined – with more or less intensity – by the other opposition groups in the community. Forward Andalusia, an Andalusian party The independence movement, usually very critical of Juanma Moreno, welcomed her decision to close schools. At Por Andalucía they also avoided any criticism.
Even Vox, which is usually the most radical, indicated during the last plenary session that it was her understanding that Juanma Moreno was not present because he had gone to Malaga, where DANA hit the hardest community. “But don’t do disaster tourism“, was the most serious blow to what was generally a moderate intervention.
The President of the Council, like the rest of the Andalusian government, saw Valencia’s mistakes and acted to avoid falling in the same potholes. But there are questions that precede this effort of distancing by the Valencian PP in the management of the crisis.
Risks in Andalusia
The first concerns the emergency systems that Andalusia has. Moreno explained this last week: The community is frequently at risk of major fires, tidal waves, earthquakes and floods. It has a mature and trained alert and response system.
Added to this is the fact that its manager is the advisor to the Presidency, Antonio Sanz. A meticulous man who knows Andalusia very well – he was also a Government delegate – he maintains particularly good relations with the security forces and organizations.
With these ingredients, San Telmo’s maxim was to err on the side of caution. Better to close schools than to regret panic scenes. It is better to be cautious than to err on the side of overconfidence.
Behind this reasoning, in addition to a logical intention to avoid misfortunes, there is a political strategy which, on the part of the presidency of the board of directors, They apply to almost every issue: institutional loyalty in a moderate way. The Andalusian way.
“Save the homelands”
What does this consist of? Juanma Moreno himself summed it up: “If we don’t defend the institutions, what will happen? will come later it will be a savior, something that is not democratic.” The warning was aimed at those who look down on organizations such as the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) or reject collaboration with other institutions because they are a different political color.
“I see rallies where they attack the politician“, indicated Moreno in the same intervention. “All politicians are not the same”, he underlined. This is one of his guidelines. Dialogue – which is applied in Andalusia on issues as diverse as the budget or social agreements with employers and unions, It is also used in emergencies.
Just look back. Andalusian government sources recall how Since San Telmo, an Executive order has never been questioned by Pedro Sánchez during the pandemic. Alternative measures were proposed, but those arriving from Madrid were always followed.
Absolute majority
This, they believe, reinforced Moreno’s image of moderation which, they point out, developed his figure and raised him to the heavens of absolute majority. Now, installed in its 58 deputies, the fight is different: that the advantage is not perceptible, that they are not perceived as cheaters thanks to these deputies.
In the case of the pandemic, the technique worked. Now, with DANA, they have been praised by the central government and the opposition. At the polls, still far away, they hope that it will pay off.
