“He’s a genius,” says one senior minister. “One of the best presidents in politics. He always has the right answers. It’s a huge loss.” Paco Salazar And his advisory work in Moncloa with the Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez.
Members of the Executive explain that on numerous occasions, ministers went to Moncloa to speak with Salazar for political and strategic advice which was almost always useful to them.
And everyone makes it clear that he was Sanchez’s main political advisor for years.
Salazar was the person who spoke into the ear of the Prime Minister, according to the political term usually used to identify those who are also known as “”Cabinet Makers” also “Black monks“From leaders. They provide advice on strategy, messaging, or speeches.
Dr. wasDirector of Analysis and Studies Prime Minister’s OfficeHe was always very close to Sanchez, until last July when he was removed from his position when the matter became known elDiario.es There are complaints of sexual harassment against him.
He was to be appointed Secretary for Analysis and Electoral Work of the Socialist Socialist Workers’ Party, within the organisation’s region, after the alleged involvement of Santos Cerdan In a corrupt conspiracy
At the last minute, publicizing the existence of the complaints led to his appointment to a federal committee being thwarted. This was due to the rapid rebellion of the women of the Socialist Workers’ Party who overthrew the initial resistance to his removal from the socialist leadership.
Now, the PSOE and the government are facing deep erosion and internal rebellion by socialist women after it became known that the party had blocked the handling of complaints against Salazar for five months.
In addition, Feraz attempted to silence them in a failed remote meeting that took place on Wednesday evening.
The Socialist Women publicly ask the Socialist Workers Party to take Salazar to the prosecutor’s office, but the party leadership refuses for now. Moreover, the administration explicitly requested silence.
Officially, the Socialist Workers Party recognizes this She wasn’t “hardworking enough”Although they explained that the process, which requires the anonymity of complainants, slows down the investigation.
Ferraz says he will not decide whether to go to the prosecutor’s office until the appointed committee, made up of three members with legal and gender training, submits its report.
This committee contacted the complainants five months after learning the facts and because elDiario.es Posted that the investigation was blocked. The rule stipulates a period of six months that can be extended, which has not yet been met, according to the party.
Salazar requested his resignation as a campaigner weeks ago when the media began questioning the status of the internal investigation.
Initially, the Socialist Workers’ Party maintained that it could not continue with the file because it had already left the party, which was its intention to settle the case in this way.
Facts reported by women It happened in MoncloaBut official sources from the Presidency of the Republic deny the presence of complaints in the mailbox designated for this.
Various government and PSOE sources attribute the decision to protecting the party’s influential advisor and executive authority of Pedro Sánchez.
They make no secret that it is an uncomfortable issue, precisely because it involves Sanchez in the first place, given the close relationship between the two. So much so that they cannot imagine that any decision will be made about Salazar, whether to protect him, rehabilitate him, or rehabilitate him. He condemns himWithout the supervision of the socialist leader.
And along these lines, the La Sexta program Red hot He confirmed on Thursday that the government had contacted embassies in Madrid to employ Salazar’s services, and that some had done so. This newspaper was unable to confirm business relations with the party or the central administration.
Communications were followed up
“The decision whether to move forward or send it to the district attorney’s office is not up to him Rebecca Toro (PSOE Secretary), not even Maria Jesus Montero; “It’s higher,” say sources from PSOE leadership.
In fact, they agree that the Prime Minister and the Socialist leader have continued to maintain contact with Salazar since his removal from office last July.
Article 14 It published a picture of the official spokesman for the ministers. pilar Alegría, He ate with Salazar when he was already dismissed in Moncloa.
Official sources from Moncloa and PSOE They deny the existence of any type of external consulting contracts The government and the party are with Salazar.
However, they explained that Sanchez has always had a dependent relationship with Salazar and an affection that prevents them from breaking all kinds of ties with him.
They see it as normal for him to maintain contact and that he does not want to see someone who has been a close collaborator with him for years in a state of “civilian death.”
When he was dismissed from his position in July. Salazar opened a consulting office very close to the Socialist headquarters of Ferraz and the Palace of Moncloa.
Together since the primaries
Sanchez’s confidence in Salazar comes from the PSOE preliminary stage, which he won Susana Diaz actually Patxi Lopez.
It has witnessed his rise and stay in power. Even longer than it used to be Jose Luis Abalos, Santos Cerdan and Koldo Garcia.
Since then, he has accompanied Sánchez in the opposition, in the daily life of the government and in all electoral processes. Even in the brief period between 2021 and 2022 in which he was appointed President of Zarzuela Racecourse He ended up teaming up with Sanchez, despite initially breaking up.
In fact, the president asked him to rejoin Moncloa, his confidant, with a prominent role in his government.
Salazar also worked on behalf of Sánchez in election campaigns for the PSOE in various communities. Especially those that ended with Salvador Ella As head of the generalitats.
Salazar and Ella struck up a great friendship during the pandemic, when the then health minister lived in Moncloa and Salazar worked as an advisor to Sánchez.
Salazar attended Ella’s inauguration, with the Chancellor’s public recognition by the Chamber of Deputies president Of generalities.
In that event, a situation occurred that explains the close relationship between Salazar and Sanchez. Two of his aides, who had a good relationship with the president and his advisor, told him: “Paco, you don’t love us like before.” Salazar replied:I still love you, but I love the president more“.
PSC sources deny that Salazar has any consulting contract with the Catalan Socialists. But Socialist sources confirm that Ella has also maintained contact with him since his theoretical fall from grace last July.
Salazar had a prominent role in… Primary election won by Sanchez against Susana Diaz And then in the process of removing it from the General Secretariat of the Andalusian Socialist Workers Party to its place Juan Espadas Commissioned by the socialist leader.
“He was always in the engine room,” explained sources from the Andalusian PSOE.
Together with Ábalos, they were responsible in those days for “persuading” the mayors and party officials to appoint Ferraz’s candidate, i.e. Sánchez, as head of the party in Andalusia.
He was mayor of Montellano (Seville) and when he left that position in 2003 he joined it Francisco ToscanoMayor of Dos Hermanas, his political godfather and one of Sánchez’s first supporters.
PSOE also denies that he is set to run Maria Jesus Montero In the Andalusian regional elections of 2026.
Unofficial sources suspect that he did not “contribute ideas”, given his knowledge of Andalusia, or of the Extremadura elections, the first to be held without him being close to Sánchez.
In addition, there are a large number of administrative and party cadres who were trained by Salazar. For example, Enma Lopeztoday the Deputy Spokesman of the PSOE Executive Director or who was its Chief of Staff in Moncloa, Monica Bellenchonwho works within a team Albert Dalmau, advisor Presidency of the General State.