It has been a long time since Pedro Sánchez had serious conflicts with the minority coalition partner. But the flood of news related to the corrupt plot of José Luis Ábalos, Santos Cerdán, Koldo García and now also of the former socialist activist Leire Díez and the former president of SEPI and the accumulation of cases of harassment in the socialist ranks led Yolanda Díaz to put herself on the table with the request for an overhaul of the government that Sánchez immediately excluded and provoked the anger of the PSOE ministers. Sánchez avoided answering the specific question of whether it was “reasonable” for Sumar to continue serving in government, but he responded to criticism leveled at him that “continuing like this fuels Vox.” “The rise of the extreme right (…) is linked to the whitewashing practiced by the right,” he responded to journalists upon his arrival at the European Council in Brussels.
“Despite the differences, because we are political organizations with a different culture, there are many things that unite us, the main one is the roadmap of progress that we are implementing until 2027,” Sánchez responded to the question about Sumar’s continuity in government and referred specifically to the increase in the SMI that is being negotiated with social agents.
“From here I think that at least the demographic growth of the extreme right, we will see when there are elections how the polls materialize, has to do with the whitewashing that the right is doing,” said the president, who identified “two stages” in this process that he attributed to the political right, that is to say the PP and the “media right”.
“I heard that if they reached an agreement with Unidas Podemos, which includes the PCE, we could reach an agreement with the extreme right, but historically the PCE has been a party in Spain that has contributed to the fight for democracy. This has nothing to do with the historical roots of the extreme right in our country, nostalgic for Francoism,” said the president, who indicated as the “second” phase the assimilation of the postulates of Vox. “We do not have a constructive opposition but a destructive opposition,” he declared before recalling that he “votes against policies that are good” for citizens and for the administrations in which he governs.
“This rise of the extreme right has nothing to do with the actions of the Spanish government,” Sánchez warned his Sumar partners.
The president avoids entering into a direct confrontation with Díaz due to his demand for an overhaul of the government, which, however, was fatal to the ministers of the socialist wing. “I don’t know what the Spanish government is going to solve if it remodels itself in relation to these cases. Now, if it comes to offering sacrifices on the altar, then let’s do it,” said Óscar Puente, also proposing replacements for the representatives of the minority partner. “What I recommend to Ms. Díaz, what the citizens ask of us, is that we work. Some laments make no sense,” replied Defense Minister Margarita Robles.
For now, Sumar has reduced Vice President Díaz’s request to a meeting with the PSOE, which should take place on Friday.
Asked about the reproaches that former Secretary of the Organization Santos Cerdán addressed to the PSOE during his appearance at the Senate Commission of Inquiry, the president said that he did not follow his appearance because he was caught stealing in Brussels and that he did not know “the context and the situation” in which he said these words. However, there was talk of the expulsion of those involved. “The PSOE acted with total firmness and I would like other parties to do the same,” he said.
Cerdán issued a warning to the socialist senator Alfonso Gil telling him if he was in a position to reproach him and also defended himself for going alone to the Senate in front of the escorted image of his time through the commission in April 2024: “Better alone than in bad company”. At the PSOE, we minimized his comments. “We understand that he is a person who has been in prison and who can be harmed. But he reinforces our decisions, he has been expelled and it is clear that he cannot carry out any blackmail,” government sources said on Wednesday.
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