Rajoy offers "future" for resigning Valencia premier

Popular Party leader Mariano Rajoy on Friday broke two days of silence following the sudden resignation of Francisco Camps as Valencia regional premier and lauded his handling of a "difficult situation."

Speaking in Granada, Rajoy said that Camps "has a future where he wants" because of the decision he made for "his region and his party."

"It is during difficult moments where you have to step forward, and it is also when you discover how great some people can be," Rajoy said.

Camps resigned on Wednesday after rejecting Rajoy's recommendation to plead guilty to charges that he accepted dress suits and other gifts from a group of businessmen, who allegedly won fat government contracts.

Under the agreement, Camps would only have had to pay a fine, but he would have held the dubious distinction of being the only sitting regional premier with a criminal record in modern Spain. Camps will now face trial with three other former officials who were indicted along with him.

Alberto Fabra, Castellón's PP mayor who will be sworn in next week as Valencia regional premier, demonstrated how he wants to change the regional government's image. He announced Friday that he will meet with the victims' association of the 2006 Valencia metro accident, in which 41 people were killed. For five years, the group had been requesting a meeting with Camps.