Neither With You Nor Without You: Morant and Mazón Miss the Mascletà to Avoid Meeting

One thing led to another, and the mascletà at Luceros on June 23 remained unattended. The day was expected to be a major gathering of political figures, with Socialist Minister Diana Morant visiting the Hogueras of Alicante and anticipation, once again, about whether the President of the Generalitat, Carlos Mazón, would attend.

An expectation that ultimately went unfulfilled, in a 'neither with you nor without you' scenario that left the mascletà at Luceros without the usual political murmurs of the Hogueras. Diana Morant toured the top prizes of the Special category, accompanied by the Government Delegate in the Valencian Community, Pilar Bernabé; the PSPV Secretary in Alicante, Rubén Alfaro; former Mayor Gabriel Echávarri; municipal spokesperson Ana Barceló, and many Socialist councillors. After the visit, despite being in the same Luceros square for a radio interview, Morant did not stay for the fireworks and returned to Madrid on the 2 PM train.

In the case of Mazón, every day there is a buzz around Luceros square in the minutes before the mascletà about whether the head of the Consell will attend. But only on the first day, June 18, the president attended the event. Afterwards, although he had events scheduled near the capital, he was not seen among the foguerers again. This Monday was no different. With the possibility of Minister Morant attending, it seemed unlikely that he would also be there, but in the end, neither showed up.

However, even without Mazón, the Consell was present with three councillors: the Minister of Education, Culture, Universities, and Employment, José Antonio Rovira; the Minister of Innovation, Industry, Commerce, and Tourism, Marián Cano; and the Minister of Finance and Economy, Ruth Merino. They all shared the event with the Mayor, Luis Barcala, who acted as host. The President of the Alicante Provincial Council, Toni Pérez, also attended, as is customary during these Hogueras 2025.

From the PSPV, the group spokesperson in the Provincial Council, Vicent Arques, and regional deputies José Díaz, Charo Navalón, and Yaissel Sánchez attended.

Vox and Compromís adhered to their agenda. Abascal's party had announced the presence of its president in the Community, Llanos Massó. In the case of the Valencianist party, the spokesperson in Les Corts, Joan Baldoví, and regional deputy Gerard Fullana attended.

The belleses del foc, Adriana Vico and Valentina Tárraga, had exceptional companions this Monday at the mascletà event. The Queens of the Murcia Festivals, the Fallera Mayor of Valencia, and the Queen of the Magdalena of Castelló accompanied the women of fire on this June 23.