Pedro Sánchez is not only determined to continue in a moment of extreme weakness due to corruption and sexual harassment scandals within the government and the PSOE, he is also acting politically to achieve this. The president appeared for an hour in La Moncloa with a clear underlying message: the situation is difficult, the scandals have damaged his credibility, but he believes that he still has a majority and is already rebuilding it.
Indeed, this morning he spoke with Oriol Junqueras, leader of the ERC, to take a significant step that he had not taken until now: he will receive him at La Moncloa in January. This gesture has two compatible interpretations: on the one hand, Sánchez is so weak that he must take this step to allow one of the most visible faces of the country to be seen in La Moncloa. processwho spent four years in prison, and on the other hand his decision to continue is firm and his partners do not want to overthrow him either, otherwise the leader of the ERC would not request this appointment. In addition, Sánchez gave details of other movements that he makes as gestures towards other partners, such as the request for membership of Catalonia or the Basque Country to the International Tourism Organization or UNESCO, traditional demands of Junts.
Sánchez has ruled out the profound change of government that Yolanda Díaz is asking of him and has once again committed to completing the legislature. “We have resources, we have ideas, we have desire and a very good team, and two more years to make them come true,” he concluded, as a clear message of continuity despite the scandals.
On several occasions, the president has acknowledged that “the moment is not easy,” but he is confident that he can continue because he has sufficient parliamentary support — he has claimed that he is winning 91% of the vote — and above all because he has money to manage — he is at historic levels of tax collection and still has European funds to spend — and a project to improve people’s lives.
Sánchez appealed to the “historic moment of Spain, Europe and the world,” with the rise of the far right, to justify why it is worth a progressive government to exhaust its mandate. “A government of the PP and Vox would be the biggest historical mistake of this country. I saw Abascal go to take a photo with Netanyahu in the middle of the bombings in Gaza, I saw Feijóo talk about a difficult divorce with a serious case of gender violence. No lessons. We have made mistakes, like everyone, but we face these mistakes and act accordingly,” he defended.
He also justified the PSOE’s reaction, while recognizing that it was wrong not to deal with the complaints against Paco Salazar for five months. “The commitment of the government and the PSOE to feminism is absolute. We are the first political organization that has decided to confront the problem of abuse with transparency and force, encouraging reporting. More than 32% of women reported having suffered harassment or abuse in their work environment. Harassment does not have a map, but the force against abuse does, and it is in the acronym of the PSOE.”
The press conference was also intended as a counterattack, especially when he was questioned on a question that was very difficult to explain: how is it possible that he did not know what those closest to him were doing? Sánchez attacked Alberto Núñez Feijóo and his relationship with drug trafficker Marcial Dorado. “I think we get to know each other better by going on vacation and going on a yacht than by sharing a table in the Council of Ministers,” he declared. In reality, with Ábalos, Cerdán and Salazar he shared much more, years of relationships and campaigns throughout Spain.
The whole press conference seemed to be aimed at answering two questions: Does this hold up? And for what? “We know what our responsibility is as a progressive government. We must promote a fairer economy, transform the climate emergency into opportunity, defend the welfare state against those who seek to sell it, protect democracy against xenophobes, isolationists or autocrats. If for this we have to endure the mud, we will do it. We feel overwhelmed and we will give the best of ourselves in this second part”, he insisted.
And as proof of this desire – and this capacity – to continue, Sánchez has retained an announcement which, according to him, affects two million people who will see their purchasing power improve because the government will reduce their transport expenses by up to 60% thanks to a new single pass for the whole country which will be 60 euros per month for the general public and 30 euros for young people. The announcement itself is a political gesture: the government shows that it has the possibility to continue announcing good news – now the increase in pensions and the SMI is coming, while previously an increase of 11% for civil servants had been approved. Sánchez even mocked, feigning a yawn, the press who scorns these types of measures as “boring” and asks the president to make more radical gestures, such as a change of government. The president is resisting this new turn, even if the situation is so volatile that there is no certainty. We must now change spokesperson, Pilar Alegría, candidate in Aragon. He insists he doesn’t want to play anymore, but that won’t be known until he makes the decision. It is possible that the president reserves this big change for the end of a round of elections which most likely promises to be very negative for the left. Before June, he will have to relieve María Jesús Montero, a decisive position within the Executive, and it is likely that Sánchez will want to wait for this moment. What is not clear is whether the explosive political situation, with several cases still open, will allow him to wait that long.
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