Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Wednesday that Deputy Prime Minister Carlos Cuerpo will provisionally lead the Transport Ministry following Oscar Puente’s resignation over two deadly train crashes.
Puente's resignation six days after the year's second deadly train crash left the ruling Socialists campaigning without one of their most combative, but also polarizing, voices.
In a televised address, Sanchez praised Puente for his political dignity, saying his decision helped the country regain confidence in the rail system.
Sanchez announced Cuerpo, Spain's economy minister, as Puente's replacement, saying, "Cuerpo showed a great capacity for management and integrity in this legislature."
Puente surprised lawmakers by announcing his resignation Tuesday night after four hours of intense questioning from a caretaker parliament. Most parties had demanded he take responsibility for two rail disasters that killed a combined 115 people.
One of Prime Minister Sanchez's most loyal and high-profile ministers, Puente had previously vowed to stay on to oversee the investigation into last week's crash and fix the system's flaws, despite widespread calls for his exit from both the opposition and coalition partners.
But Tuesday, the 57-year-old minister revealed he had made his decision shortly after the train crash in Urda, central Spain, only telling his family while keeping even Sanchez in the dark.
Puente's resignation takes effect once published in the official gazette. He also said he would not run in the Nov. 29 election.
Puente's surprise announcement came after polls conducted following last Wednesday's deadly crash showed a slight drop in support for the ruling Socialists. The party had hoped to campaign on its ability to uphold social services and address a housing crisis.
"Politicians like (Puente) bring honor to our country and show us that we are not all the same. While some merely preach, others give their all," Sanchez said after Puente's announcement, adding Puente had "stood up, offered solutions and then stepped aside."
A lawyer and former mayor, Puente became transport minister in Nov. 2023, overseeing the expansion of Spain's rail network and rollout of investments supported in part by EU recovery funds.
Unions and opposition parties have criticized the minister for years for underinvestment in maintenance and increased disruptions. This culminated in a Senate motion demanding his resignation in February after a fatal crash on the same Madrid-Seville line as last Wednesday's collision.
Dubbed Sanchez's "attack dog" by media commentators, he frequently traded barbs with rivals on messaging platform X or in parliament. His pugnacious style led him to become a top contender in discussions about Sanchez's eventual succession.
