Consell and City Council Criticise the 'Partisan Use' of Santa Faz by Left-Wing Parties

Many political figures attended the Santa Faz pilgrimage, with one notable absence: the President of the Valencian Government, Carlos Mazón. He had announced last week that an official trip to the United States would prevent him from attending the Peregrina. For someone as devoted to Alicante as Mazón, this must have been difficult, but duty calls in this instance.

In an apparent attempt to compensate for the president's absence, the Consell saw a significant turnout of councillors, led by Vice President Susana Camarero. The official regional delegation included the heads of Emergencies (Juan Carlos Valderrama), Transport (Vicente Martínez Mus), Culture and Education (José Carlos Rovira), and Agriculture (Miguel Barrachina).

Camarero led the Valencian Government's delegation to "accompany the mayors of Alicante and Sant Joan, and the residents of Alicante" in their devotion.

However, it was the members of Compromís who made their presence felt. The youth wing of the nationalist organisation marched the Peregrina with a large banner reading 'Mazón, Resignation'. This action, along with statements from Diana Morant and Joan Baldoví, provoked the conservatives: "It's a shame and a disgrace that this event is being used politically," reproached the Vice President of the Consell.

"Today is not a day for political use," reiterated Camarero, criticising the action. "We see how different people understand traditions," she lamented.

The Mayor of Alicante, Luis Barcala, also harshly criticised the opposition: "There are people who don't know where they are going," he stated about an "ugly" act, which he called a "lack of respect for the people of Alicante". He urged to "maintain traditions".

Meanwhile, left-wing parties focused on highlighting Mazón's absence. The Minister of Science and PSPV Secretary General, Diana Morant, criticised the President of the Valencian Government, Carlos Mazón, on Thursday for not being at Santa Faz, calling it a "democratic anomaly" that Mazón "cannot be" on the streets because "the people do not want him".

Additionally, she criticised the Valencian Government's handling of the storm, which was a "crisis without precedent that caused and continues to cause so much pain". Similarly, she reproached Mazón for "not wanting to listen" to the people's voice, which "shouts that enough is enough of lies and excuses".

Morant, who made her debut at the 2025 Pilgrimage, participated in the Peregrina without reaching the Caserío or attending the mass. No central government representative attended the liturgical event from the four levels represented on Thursday: minister, Secretary of State (Arcadi España), Government Delegate of the Community, and Deputy Government Delegate.

The minister decided to end her participation in the Santa Faz upon reaching the monastery, from where she moved to the May Day demonstration. Compromís spokesperson Joan Baldoví followed the same itinerary, also commenting on Mazón's absence at the end of the pilgrimage: "A president who cannot even step foot in his own city, who on such a significant day that transcends the religious aspect cannot accompany the people he claims to represent, is a president who is spent, burnt out, constantly fleeing."