The PP, for its part, accused CHA spokesperson in the Aragon Parliament Jorge Pueyo of “cynically and unfairly exploiting” the wildfires and attempting to “derail” the Speakers’ Board. Popular Party spokesperson Ana Marín defended the statement, saying it recognized the work of farmers, ranchers, residents, mayors and emergency services, as well as coordination between administrations.
CHA REJECTS “A TRIBUTE” TO AZCÓN’S MANAGEMENT
Jorge Pueyo said that CHA shared the recognition and gratitude toward those who were on the ground, but distanced itself from the assessment of the regional government’s political response. “One thing we agree on is recognizing the enormous effort made by those who were on the ground, and quite another is trying to whitewash the political work,” he said.
The Aragonese nationalist spokesperson maintained that the PP “deliberately confuses institutional unity with the obligation to approve a management record that has significant and serious shortcomings.” “One thing is to honor and thank those who fought the wildfires, and quite another is to use that tribute to politically certify in the Aragon Parliament, through an institutional statement, that everything worked very well,” he said.
CHA called on the Government of Aragon to address the needs of the affected municipalities and pointed to problems such as water supplies, the lack of instructions on recovery and aid, and the impact of the wildfires on tourism and small businesses. The party called for prevention and firefighting resources to be strengthened, basic services to be guaranteed, expenses incurred during the emergency to be compensated, and economic measures to be approved to preserve employment and economic activity.
PP ACCUSES PUEYO OF “LYING”
Ana Marín accused Pueyo of “lying” by questioning the content of the institutional statement. According to the Popular Party spokesperson, the CHA lawmaker removed three paragraphs from the PP’s text that recognized the work of farmers, ranchers, tractor drivers, residents, mayors and county officials, as well as assessing coordination between the Government of Aragon, the central government, the Armed Forces, provincial councils, counties and town halls.
“What does he disagree with?” Marín asked, questioning whether Pueyo opposed “preventing wildfires, managing and preserving forests, protecting population centers or improving emergency and security services.” She also recalled that the regional government approved an emergency line of direct aid on August 17 to repair wildfire damage and had requested that the area be declared seriously affected.
“The Government of Aragon has been on the front lines of the wildfires,” Marín said. She accused Pueyo of attending the Speakers’ Board with the intention of “derailing it.” “Mr. Pueyo does not care about Aragon, he does not care about the people of Aragon, he does not care about the wildfires or the aid; he only cares about Mr. Pueyo,” she concluded.
