Internal movements in the PSOE: Jordi Sevilla launches a manifesto calling for a "change of course"

MadridA movement has emerged within the Socialist ranks. Former minister Jordi Sevilla, who has been critical of Spanish President Pedro Sánchez, has publicly made his move, presenting a manifesto on Monday advocating for "changing the party's course." Under the banner of "Social Democracy 21," Sevilla has launched a movement intended to become an internal faction within the PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party), seeking to attract members uncomfortable with Sánchez's leadership. However, he avoids mentioning names or explicitly calling for the replacement of the current Socialist Secretary General. He does, however, hold Sánchez's leadership responsible for the rise of the far right and the polarization gripping the country. "We want the PSOE to recover an autonomous, social-democratic, transformative, inspiring, and majority-based project, focused on citizens' problems and open to democratic consensus with its political adversaries on matters of state," he states. When asked about it, Spanish President Pedro Sánchez admitted that the Seville movement had "caught his attention," but assured—after meeting with the Greek Prime Minister—that he respects all opinions. In addition to the written manifesto, Seville also released a video on social media, in which he directly points out that the government of Pedro Sánchez and Sumar is failing young people because it is not solving the housing access problem or offering policies for the creation of "decent work." He labels the Spanish government's strategy as "populism based on electoral calculation" and laments the lack of "social democratic policies."

The former Socialist minister and former president of Red Eléctrica believes that public debate in Spain has reached a dead end, generating disaffection among citizens towards institutions, which, in his view, only benefits the rise of the far right. Therefore, his solution is clear: cooperation between the PSOE and the PP. "We must overcome the politics of opposing blogs and the 'Sanchismo vs. anti-Sanchismo' dynamic," he declares.

The current leadership of the Socialists has responded cautiously: Deputy Spokesperson Enma López said they will study the manifesto "carefully" and guaranteed that all proposals, whether "minority or majority," will be "listened" within the party.

Internal message

Although Sevilla doesn't explicitly mention a change in leadership within the PSOE, she does directly criticize Sánchez and his leadership style: "Parties cannot be dogmatic sects revolving around a charismatic leader," she asserts. She also refers to the Cerdán and Ábalos cases, as well as the alleged harassment by Paco Salazar, which have sparked outrage among PSOE feminists: "The party cannot fail to prevent corruption among its leaders or behaviors that affect the dignity of women."

The other critics

Sánchez's critics typically focus on the old guard of the Socialist Party, such as former Spanish Prime Minister Felipe González or the president of Castilla-La Mancha, Emiliano García-Page. However, Sevilla's case is different because he comes from another background: he was a loyal supporter of Sánchez in his early days and was known for being close to José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero. When did the relationship between Sevilla and the Spanish president break down? "I was with him until he embraced Pablo Iglesias," he says. he said recently in an interview

It remains to be seen, in any case, what internal reaction the former minister's move will receive, since this Monday it didn't seem to generate any stir among critics. Senator and former Andalusian president Susana Díaz considered it not the time to open internal debates on the eve of the Aragonese elections, while former Madrid leader Juan Lobato did not sign the document despite sharing some of its ideas. García-Page's position is similar. For now, it has been explicitly endorsed by former Socialist officials or grassroots members who have expressed their support for Sevilla through a video on social media, such as former deputy Ana Botella, former president of the Castellón Provincial Council, José Martí, and José María Vidal, a professor at the University of Valencia and a party member.