Francisco Camps: “The PP is not currently leading the political discourse in the Valencian Community.”

The former president of the Valencian Regional Government, Francisco Camps, presented a plan in Valencia on Thursday to propose new leadership for the party at the organizational level and a candidate for the upcoming regional elections, at a time when, as the newly elected president of the Regional Government, Juanfran Pérez Llorca, assured, there is no sign of this on the immediate horizon. According to Camps, who has put himself forward as a candidate for the presidency of the Generalitat, a congress is urgently needed to elect leaders, candidates, and renew the PP's political discourse, because the party “is not leading in the Valencian Community,” he said, without mentioning Vox and in clear criticism of former president Carlos Mazón and his successor Juanfran Pérez Llorca. The mayor of Valencia, María José Catalá, and the president of the Provincial Council, Vicente Mompó, have replied that it is not yet time for leadership. Camps is not giving up on his efforts to make a political comeback and has been challenging the president of the Generalitat and the PP of the Valencian Community in his own fiefdom for months. The former head of the Consell between 2003 and 2011 held the event at the Juan XXIII restaurant in Alicante. After his defiant speech, PP supporters and activists dined at a cost of €35 per person. Camps, who presided over the Generalitat between 2003 and 2011, the year in which he resigned due to the suit case, from which he was acquitted in 2012, has once again called for the PPCV regional congress to be convened. He has stated that he does not envisage the possibility of an indefinite postponement and has specified that it should be held in "March, April or, at the latest, in June.“ The former leader of the Valencian PP has stressed the need to ”start talking about 2027“ because, as of today, ”no one“ is doing so. ”There is not a single member who says they want to be president of the party or the next president of the Generalitat. I am the only one who says so openly, who says he has a model for the future and the only one who says he can win by an absolute majority.“ ”We have to regain pride in our understanding of the Valencian Community and Spain, and defend a project that is open to everyone and that has managed not only to win but also to do things right. And I am willing to do so. I have done other things for the PP, such as winning or resigning. I believe that my candidacy is the best," emphasized the former president. Camps has called for an open congress where members can vote without any restrictions, even those who have not paid their dues and who have been disaffected with the party's functioning. The former president has committed to mobilizing all party members and reopening PP headquarters throughout the country, “which I see closed in municipalities, counties, and districts.” The politician has assured that he has a very advanced community project. “I am the only one who is openly saying that I want to be the candidate for the presidency of the party, that I want to be a candidate for the presidency of the Generalitat, that I am presenting a campaign team, the only one who has a model for the future from 2027 onwards and who truly believes that he can win by an absolute majority.” The former president argued that the PP suffers when it does not lead, “when it follows what others say. The PP has to return to leading the discourse in the Community because it is not doing so at the moment,” he said, without mentioning Vox. “This must be corrected immediately” and we must come out and say “that we aspire to an absolute majority.” Camps said he was prepared for three possible electoral scenarios: early elections in the Valencian Community, the fall of the Spanish government — “Hopefully,” he added — and the decision to hold regional elections at the same time as general elections. Or that the legislative term ends and elections are held in 2027. He then presented his team of 20 young people with no public office and a project that revolves around holding open conventions dedicated to employment, housing, water, and infrastructure, among other issues. The mayor of Valencia, María José Catalá, has shown her respect for Camps' project and insisted that now is the time to work for Valencia and the Valencian Community, “the time will come for leadership or for each person's legitimate personal ambitions.” The president of the Valencia Provincial PP and the Provincial Council, Vicente Mompó, has called on Camps to wait for the PP's internal congress process and then the electoral process. "There is time. Now is the time to stand together, and those who have held office know the timing. We have to stick together; we are coming out of a difficult period, and we need management and reconstruction. When the congress comes, the members will decide," he said.