Diana Morant accuses Vicent Mompó of a sexist attack after being called 'lameculos de Sánchez'. The minister refuses to accept an apology and calls for real consequences. The incident exposes deep divisions in Valencia's political scene.
Spain’s Minister Diana Morant is demanding accountability from Vicent Mompó, president of the Diputación de Valencia and provincial leader of the PP, after he called her "lameculos de Sánchez" and "the daughter of Zapatero" in a social media post. Morant, who also leads the PSPV-PSOE, says she will not accept a simple apology and wants real consequences for what she calls a sexist attack.
The dispute began after Morant criticized Mompó’s response to the recent dana, saying he failed to inform the public about preventive measures. Mompó replied on X with personal insults, dismissing Morant’s competence and using gendered language. Morant responded by calling out what she sees as a wider problem: the normalization of misogynistic language in Spanish politics. According to El País, similar incidents have led to calls for stricter codes of conduct in regional parliaments.
In 2023, Spain's Equality Ministry reported a 15% increase in complaints about sexist language in public institutions compared to the previous year.
Morant is firm in her stance. She argues that this kind of behavior can’t be dismissed as a slip or explained away by political tension. For her, the insult is not just personal but a public example of attitudes that shouldn’t be tolerated. She has asked the PSPV-PSOE’s Council of Women to consider how to respond, stressing that women in her party will decide how to defend themselves and their colleagues from similar attacks.
Morant says this is not an isolated case. She points to earlier incidents, such as being called "bipolar" by PP spokesperson Fernando Pastor and hearing vice president Susana Camarero claim the Spanish government was "full of prostitutes"—a comment later retracted. She argues these repeated episodes show a pattern of dehumanization and gender-based hostility that goes beyond individual disputes. A 2024 report by the Spanish Observatory on Gender Violence found that over 60% of female politicians in Spain have faced some form of sexist insult or harassment in the past two years.
The Spanish government has recently launched new training programs for public officials aimed at preventing gender-based discrimination and promoting respectful language in political discourse. These initiatives are part of a broader national strategy to combat sexism in public life.
Spanish Ministry of Equality
Morant draws a line between legitimate political criticism and personal attacks. She says her own criticism of Mompó’s actions during the dana was about policy, while his reply crossed into personal and sexist territory. She warns that letting this kind of language slide teaches the next generation that it’s acceptable, both in politics and at home.
When asked to compare Mompó’s insult with Minister Óscar Puente calling a PP leader "inútil", Morant said "inútil" is a comment on political effectiveness, not a gendered slur. She insists she has never used language like what was directed at her.
Morant’s refusal to let the incident fade is part of a broader pushback against sexist rhetoric in public life. She says her stance is about principle, not just personal offense, and she plans to keep calling out this behavior wherever she sees it.
This clash comes as Valencia’s political scene remains tense after recent crises. The fallout from the dana has already led to judicial scrutiny of local leaders, as reported earlier. Now, attention is turning to the tone and boundaries of political debate itself.
Morant’s intervention highlights a persistent divide in Spanish politics: what is acceptable in public debate, and how to respond when those lines are crossed. Her demand for accountability, not just apologies, raises the bar for confronting sexism in political life. The outcome will test whether parties and institutions are willing to move beyond statements of condemnation and actually impose consequences for those who cross the line. In a climate of fragile public trust, how this episode is handled will shape expectations for civility and respect in Spain’s public sphere.
