National
Minister says AVE Madrid-Barcelona will be operational by the general election
By m.p.
Jan 27, 2008 - 8:47 PM

The Development Minister, Magdalena Álvarez, has confirmed that the new AVE high speed link between Madrid and Barcelona will be operational before the general election takes place on 9th March, and said the Housing Minister, Carme Chacón, will be able to travel on the AVE to the Catalan capital to give PSOE’s last electoral meeting before the national poll is held.

Speaking in an interview on Punto Radio this weekend, Álvarez admitted that her ministry made a mistake in choosing a company for the construction work which, she said, ‘did not do it well.’ She recently survived a vote of no confidence in Congress by just three votes over the months of problems caused on Barcelona’s railway service by work on the AVE line, and shortly afterwards, saw a motion of no confidence passed in the Senate, the upper chamber of the Spanish parliament. The vote has no implications in law.

The Minister said in the interview that the criticisms against her management of the work on the AVE were a political strategy ‘to cover over the positive’ aspects, and said she never thought of throwing in the towel. She said very little went wrong in comparison with the volume of work which took place.

Describing herself as ‘politically incorrect,’ Europa Press said Magdalena Álvarez gave no clear answer on whether she would continue as Minister if the Prime Minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, is returned for a second mandate after the March election. ‘I’ll be happy whether I’m a Minister or not,’ she said.

The Development Minister has been chosen to head the Socialist Party’s list for Málaga province on 9th March.