Even more difficult for Sánchez
In politics, and in life in general, things can always go wrong, especially when things are already in a difficult situation. Pedro Sánchez had outlined a plan for this Saturday's meeting of the PSOE federal committee to become a turning point, a relaunch of the party after the setback caused by the Cerdán case and the imprisonment of the party's until recently organizational secretary. But from the very beginning, the plan began to go awry, as the publication of accusations of sexual harassment by a female employee of the Moncloa government in Eldiario.es The accusations against one of the people Sánchez had appointed to form part of the new organization secretariat team, Francisco Salazar, have ended with his resignation and cast a shadow over the entire day.
Salazar is no ordinary person; he is a man who has Sánchez's utmost confidence and who, until today, held a prominent position in the cabinet of the Spanish prime minister. Time will tell if the accusations are true, but for Sánchez, the situation is somewhat more complicated. However, the PSOE leader, true to form, has also made it clear that, despite all the difficulties, he does not intend to throw in the towel. "The captain is not backing down; he is staying to weather the storm," he told his party colleagues in a speech in which he outlined a package of measures to prevent further cases like those of Cerdán or José Luis Ábalos.
The party supports him, but the nervousness is evident, and not only among his long-time detractors, such as the president of Castilla-La Mancha, Emiliano García-Page. It seems that Sánchez is running out of credit and that he no longer has much room for maneuver: either his commitment to Rebeca Torró as the new secretary of organization and electoral action begins to bear fruit soon, or his future, and that of the progressive government, will be in question. However, among those offering unconditional support to Sánchez is Salvador Illa's PSC, who from now on will hold the position of PSOE spokesperson, Montse Mínguez.
Meanwhile, the People's Party (PP) is holding its congress this weekend in a euphoric climate, as they assume their imminent arrival at the Moncloa Palace. However, the tone they are using is disturbing. In the ideological presentation, by the way, they have toughened their rhetoric against languages other than Spanish. And in his speech, Alberto Núñez Feijóo warned that when they come to power, they will not limit themselves to doing things differently, but will take measures to ensure that what they call "Sánchismo" cannot happen again. This confirms that, despite his seemingly conciliatory words, Feijóo embraces Aznar's platform: alternation is not enough; we must erase the traces of progressive governments and take measures to prevent their return. Or that when he returns, it will be another PSOE more to their liking, like the one represented by Page. Because, evidently, for them, there is only one way of understanding Spain, and that is theirs.
