The European People's Party (EPP) convened its congress in Valencia on Tuesday amid a backdrop of infrastructural failures and political unrest. The event, intended to celebrate the party's 2024 success in the European Parliament elections and the anticipated re-election of Manfred Weber as president, has been overshadowed by a massive power outage and ongoing scrutiny over the handling of last year's devastating floods.​ On Monday, a significant power failure struck the Iberian Peninsula, leaving vast areas of Spain and Portugal without electricity. The blackout disrupted transportation, communication, and essential services, with hospitals relying on generators and public transport systems halted. By Tuesday morning, power had been restored to most regions, but the incident raised concerns about the resilience of the region's infrastructure. The choice of Valencia as the congress venue has also drawn criticism. The city is still recovering from catastrophic floods in October 2024 tha...