The Salazar affair and complaints of sexual harassment have hit the PSOE in recent weeks. The PP questions the feminism of the socialists, while the government’s partners demand strength and clarity. After hearing the sentence of the former Attorney General of the State Álvaro García Ortiz, the historic conviction took second place to the women’s accusations against the general secretary of the Socialists of Torremolinos (Málaga), Antonio Navarro, and the former president of the Provincial Deputation of Lugo, José Tomé.
The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, recognized that the Feminism gives “lessons every day” to his party and to him “first and foremost”. “When we receive these lessons, we ask for forgiveness and act accordingly,” he said. The socialist leader wanted to differentiate his party from right-wing groups and defended the feminist policies of the coalition Executive.
During the last monitoring session of the plenary session of Congress, the leader of the PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, accused Sánchez of having learned “in the brothels” everything he knows about feminism and asked him What attributes did you see in Santos Cerdán, José Luis Ábalos or Paco Salazar? to make them your trusted men. He chose them, in his opinion, because they are made “in his image and likeness” and he is not “better than them,” but “one of them.”
In front of them, Socialist ministers and leaders defended their feminist policies and they delegitimized the criticism of the popular people, who were also reminded of their inaction in the face of the alleged cases of harassment affecting the mayors of Algeciras or Estepona, or what happened in the Nevenka case. “The greatest risk for democracy in Spain is that the PP is the servant of Vox, we, the dam,” underlined the Minister of the Presidency, Félix Bolaños, who recognized that the cases that are emerging are “repugnant”.
In the corridors of Congress, its partners did not hide their discomfort and their incomprehension in the face of the socialists’ first responses. “Nobody understands what the PSOE is doing” and “above all, what Moncloa did with Salazar”, said ERC spokesperson Gabriel Rufián. The PSOE, confirmed PNV spokesperson Maribel Vaquero, should be “much clearer and much more energetic” in the management of these cases.
Salazar affair
The Salazar case dates back to July, when the first information about alleged sexual harassment of two socialist activists who worked in Moncloa by Paco Salazarformer socialist leader and former government advisor. After the complaints became known, he was removed from his position as secretary general of the Institutional Coordination of Moncloa and was also removed from the party.
At the beginning of December, the matter returned to public debate after eldiario.es will publish this the complaints had disappeared from the internal channel of the PSOE aimed at avoiding situations of harassment and discrimination within the party. However, the training ensures that the complaints have not been deleted, but rather that after 90 days from registration the system “hides them to maximize data protection guarantees.”
The PSOE acknowledged the mistake and said it could have handled sexual harassment complaints against Salazar more diligently. Thus, he recognized that Communication with the alleged victims was not “up to par” and he regretted not having “covered them sufficiently”. However, the internal pressure does not stop and some regional federations are asking Ferraz to take the matter to court.
Navarro affair
A few days later, on December 3, the PSOE announced the opening of an investigation into a complaint for alleged sexual harassment against the general secretary of Torremolinos, Antonio Navarro, also by an activist. The complainant allegedly received messages of sexual content, insinuations and non-consensual propositions in an “intimidating, degrading and humiliating” environment.
The Malaga public prosecutor’s office for violence against women has opened proceedings following the complaint filed against Navarro, who He is also a councilor and provincial deputy. After that, the federal body of the PSOE provisionally suspended the accused from activism, because he could “presumably” have committed a serious offense and another very serious violation of the articles of the federal statutes of the party.
On the other hand, next week they will name “a manager who will take charge of the management of the Torremolinos group.” While this manager will take the reins of the municipal executive, the provincial of Malaga will take care of its procedural and management issues.
Tome case
Finally, this Wednesday, the PSOE confirmed another anonymous complaint for sexual harassment, in this case against the current former president of the Provincial Delegation of Lugo, José Tomé, that in the afternoon he announced his resignation from this post. However, the socialist declared that he would retain the town hall of Monforte de Lemos and his record as an unregistered provincial deputy, which the PSOE rejected, demanding that he resign from all his positions.
The complaint describes “sexist behavior” by the socialist leader, according to socialist sources, and was presented this Tuesday on the party’s internal channel, a few hours before these events were known on the show. Code 10 of Four. Concretely, they would be six women reporting alleged harassment by Tomé, who denied the accusations. “Everything that has come out is false, it’s a lie,” he said in statements leading up to his resignation, in which he also said he would not resign.
Six hours after rejecting a possible resignation, Tomé announced that he had requested the preventive suspension of PSOE activism and resignation from the presidency of the Provincial Councilwho govern in the PSOE and BNG coalition. The Lugo politician explained that he would continue to govern Monforte until his situation is resolved, saying that he has a “large absolute majority” and that he does not have to “put up with lies or inventions” about himself.
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