As 2025 draws to a close, with a less politically active month due to the Christmas holidays, everything indicates that the Minister of Science, Innovation, Universities and… PSPV-PSOE filter For the presidency of the state of Valenciana … You’ll end up not visiting five of the seventeen independent communities.
The head of Spanish universities and the portfolios of science and innovation, two issues central to the transformation that the executive wants to promote in the country, have not spent a single day in the Balearic Islands, Galicia, Navarra, La Rioja or the Basque Country so far in 2025. In other countries, such as Castilla and León, I’ve only been there twiceOne of them was to an international summit, and both visits were during the third quarter.
This little connection with the regional reality of the Minister, in five regions which have their own universities, and which also, in cases such as the Balearic Islands, have organizations dependent on her Ministry such as the Coastal Surveillance System of the Balearic Islands (Socib), contradicts Its excessive presence in autonomy Who is the leader of the Socialist Party.
While Diana Morante has not set foot in the above-mentioned communities even once, as can be seen from her official agenda published on the government’s website, the PSPV-PSOE candidate for the presidency of the state of Valenciana spent a total of 65 days in her homeland and shone in the three provinces that make up it. A total of 90 works.
The Minister also turned her back on the multiple calls she received from officials denouncing the corruption of the CNIO, which also relies on her Ministry.
This pattern of neglecting her jobs in government, for which she receives an annual salary of more than 80,000 euros, has been common since she was appointed as Zemo Puig’s replacement at the head of the Socialists in Valencia. His neglect of jobs, according to inside sources in the administration he heads, not only did he not meet with universities, research centers or institutions affiliated with the ministry on an official visit to those five regions, but he also turned his back on the multiple calls he received from officials to denounce the corruption of the National Center for Cancer Research (CNIO), which also relies on his ministry.
A few days ago, the ABC network revealed various letters sent by employees of this institution, of which Morant herself is honorary chair of its board of trustees and the management of the royal administration at number three of her team, to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Juan CruzAnd also the Secretary General for Research.
The minister said, after being asked about the controversy at the beginning of the week, that she was not aware of any written letter from the complainants, who were dismissed as a measure of retaliation, despite the existence of documents. Who works for this newspaper It can be verified that all these reports of alleged violations committed years ago were registered in his department.
Last Wednesday, the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office decided to open proceedings to investigate the alleged embezzlement that occurred over time through the purchase of materials and the acquisition of services by the administration and other management areas of the CNIO. In total, the amount allegedly defrauded could exceed €23 million.
Various works
This year, Morant has developed a public agenda that is almost monopolized by events in the Valencian Community, the district in which she is running for state party PSPV. Her constant presence in the municipalities of Valencia, her extensive institutional visits, her interviews in the regional media, her participation in local festivals and meetings with the Socialist mayors, have revived criticism of the opposition, which accuses the Minister of “Use the position to boost your electoral profile». The former mayor of Gandía even skipped attending a Cabinet meeting, a weekly meeting that all members of the government must attend except on official business that justifies their absence, to attend a demonstration against former Valencian president Carlos Mazón in front of the Cortes of Valencia.
The list of events in the three provinces of the Valencian Community that appear on Morant’s agenda during 2025 is extensive and ranges from visits to town halls, bonfires, pilgrimages, cultural festivals, school openings, award ceremonies or union meetings, to… Frequent interviews on radio stations and community televisions. Added to these appearances are other events linked to its portfolio – such as scientific meetings, university meetings or visits to technology centers – most of which are also located within the Valencian Region.
The accumulation of actions that have no direct connection to science shows a partisan use of the institutional agenda by Morant, who like the rest of the ministerial candidates continues without resigning from his position in the executive branch as they prepare for their landing in their autonomous communities. In Valencia’s case, after the inauguration on Thursday Juanfran Pérez Yurca As the new president of the state, the electoral scenario that could be assumed to be imminent has been completely removed. In a way that Diana Morant won’t have to face the ballot box for two years. However, the Socialist candidate continues to demand that the People’s Party, which has a majority with Vox and unlike her government, approve budgets, in order to advance the date of the regional elections as soon as possible.