The Prensa Ibérica group, which publishes in the Valencian Community the newspapers Levante-EMV, Información and Mediterráneo-El Periódico de Castellón, issued a very harsh statement yesterday about the decision of President Ximo Puig not to participate in his scheduled debate of the regional candidates for next May 22. “We canceled the electoral debate due to Ximo Puig’s refusal to participate”, headlined an information in which it was added that “Prensa Ibérica sent invitations in due time and form to the candidates for the presidency of the Generalitat Valenciana (…) But he has met with the ‘no’ of the current president of the Generalitat and socialist candidate for re-election to participate in this debate”.
The Presidency of the Generalitat Valenciana informed this newspaper that five invitations had been received for the head of the Consell to participate in electoral campaign debates for the 28M elections: Cadena SER, À Punt, Prensa Ibérica, a joint debate of the Cadena COPE and Las Provincias and, also, the Delegation of TVE in the Valencian Community. “The president is going to debate, but he will do so only on Cadena SER, which is the historic debate that has been taking place for decades, and on À Punt, which is the regional channel, as has always been done,” these said yesterday. sources. They added that “the decision has been adopted by the electoral committee of the PSPV, which has considered maintaining what has been done on other occasions.”
Sources from the management of Grupo Prensa Ibérica conveyed their discomfort: “We made the invitation in due time and form, and we did not expect to be told no.” They regretted that this version was offered from the presidency and pointed out that in 2015 “there was a regional debate carried out by the Grupo Prensa Ibérica.” From the PSPV it was pointed out that in 2015 this debate was held “because there was no À Punt”. This discomfort was also perceived in the direction of Cadena COPE in the Valencian Community, whose sources made it clear that “the invitation was made several months ago, the debate with Las Provincias will be held; if the president and candidate of the PSPV does not want to Going is your decision, nothing happens, but your chair will be empty, until the last moment we will wait for you”.
