The Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility tendered his resignation this evening, following a four-hour appearance before the Congress of Deputies to explain the Urda accident.
Although he has not announced that he is leaving politics, he has confirmed that he will not stand on the lists for Congress in the general election on 29 November.
Puente defended the handling of his portfolio and of the rail sector. Even so, he yielded to pressure from every parliamentary group except the PSOE and Bildu, and has left a post he held for less than three years. Pedro Sánchez appointed him minister in November 2023, replacing Raquel Sánchez.
The decision surprised everyone. At his first appearance, a few hours after the accident, he ruled out resigning, although today he acknowledged that he had already made up his mind. On 28 October, he pledged to manage the situation and said he was not thinking about himself. He now justifies his decision as a matter of “political dignity, consistency and empathy with the victims” and says the most urgent actions have been completed.
Pedro Sánchez is expected to name a successor in the coming hours. According to elEconomista, the leading candidate is Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo. Promoting a senior Ministry of Transport official would mean structural changes less than a month before an election in which a change of government is all but certain.