The whisper in Gabriel Rufián's ear and hug to Puente after his announcement: "You have been a great minister"

The Minister of Transport, Óscar Puente, resigned by surprise this Tuesday in Congress at the end of a Permanent Deputation that lasted more than four hours and in which all political groups, except Bildu, had asked him to leave office after his management of the Urda train accident last week. At the end of his speech, while the socialist bench applauded the outgoing minister, the ERC spokesperson in the Chamber, Gabriel Rufián, was the first to approach him to say goodbye. In an affectionate gesture recorded by the chambers of the Congress of Deputies, both shook hands and gave each other a hug, in which Rufián whispered in his ear: "You have been a great minister."

"It's his decision," Rufián later told the media as he left the room. "The important thing here is to know if the Spanish railway system is sustainable, safe, efficient. The answer is ostensibly no," the ERC candidate for the November 29 elections then lamented. The Republican spokesman has assured that he understands that the resignation is now the focus of attention, although he has insisted that the fundamental thing is to know "whether it is safe or not safe to take a train in this country."

During his turn to speak in the Permanent Deputation, Rufián had hinted that ERC was in favor of assuming political responsibilities for the railway tragedy, although without expressly demanding the departure of Puente. "Someone has to take charge," he had warned, after acknowledging that the minister was a "good politician" who "shows his face." He had also asked the left-wing parties, including the PSOE, what they would do and what they would ask for if the head of Transport were from the PP.

In any case, Rufián had insisted that the continuity of the minister was an "accessory" issue in the face of the problems of the railway system. The deputy had also criticized Puente for "blaming a worker" as possibly responsible for the Urda accident and had questioned both the PP cuts and the railway liberalization promoted during the socialist governments. "There is something here that has been done wrong for many years," he had denounced.

In his last speaking turn, Puente announced his resignation as Minister of Transport and his resignation from leading the PSOE candidacy for Valladolid in the general elections on November 29. "A Transport Minister of a country like Spain cannot continue in his position with two accidents of this severity in one year," he acknowledged, visibly moved during the announcement.