The King of Spain, visiting flood-affected areas, received a much better reception than last time

SPAIN – A radically different welcome. Fifteen days after a very tense first visit, the King and Queen of Spain returned this Tuesday, November 19 to the Valencia region devastated by the deadly floods of October 29, where they were received this time with applause.

Arriving at the end of the morning in front of the town hall of Chiva, a town of 17,000 inhabitants among the most affected by the disaster which left at least 227 dead, Felipe VI and Letizia came to meet the inhabitants with the president of the region Carlos Mazón, much criticized for its management of bad weather.

“Long live the king!” »shouted some of the people present in front of the town hall of the town, where a large police force had been deployed. Carlos Mazón, for his part, was the target of some calls for resignation launched by residents. Mentioned last week by Felipe VI, on the sidelines of a visit to soldiers deployed in areas affected by the floods, this visit was organized with the greatest discretion by the royal house, which never officially announced it.

“It’s a good thing” that they are there but “they should have come before”told AFP Javier Domínguez, a 56-year-old resident of Chiva, even if he does not forget that the sovereigns “can’t do much” for the disaster victims. “Chiva is doing very badly”assured María Victoria Sánchez, 75, who also welcomes this visit, two weeks after the tensions that marred a first visit to the region. What happened that day, “it’s an aberration”she judged.

Throwing stones and mud

On November 3, five days after the disaster, Felipe VI and Letizia went to Paiporta, a village considered the epicenter of the tragedy, in the company of Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and Carlos Mazón, figure of the Popular Party. But the situation on the spot quickly got out of hand: beside themselves, demonstrators booed the official procession, which was greeted with shouts of« assassins » and by throwing stones and mud, during a chaotic sequence whose images went around the world.

The tension had forced Pedro Sánchez then Carlos Mazón, the main targets of this outburst of anger, to leave the scene. Only the royal couple remained there, their clothes and faces stained with mud, to exchange a few words with the inhabitants, protected by their bodyguards. The second part of the visit, planned for Chiva, had to be canceled. But the royal house had promised that Felipe VI and Letizia would return quickly.

With this new move, the sovereigns wish “first keep their promise”underlines Vicente Garrido, professor of constitutional law at the University of Valencia. The anger of the victims on November 3 was also not directly directed against the royal couple, whose attitude during this undoubtedly unprecedented incident in the history of the Spanish monarchy was unanimously praised.

“The fact that the king and queen remained present, that they withstood the pouring rain and the mud that was thrown in their faces” has been “much appreciated”insists Vicente Garrido, for whom the image of the royal couple goes “emerge strengthened” of this episode.

Strongly weakened for his part, the president of the Valencia region Carlos Mazón recognized “errors” Friday, while ruling out resigning and criticizing the government's action. On Tuesday, he announced the appointment of a retired general to oversee reconstruction operations. The socialist Pedro Sánchez – currently in Brazil for the G20 summit – will report on his handling of the tragedy before Parliament, perhaps on November 27, according to his office.

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