Sánchez vows to resist at Moncloa against the attempt to "overthrow him by foul means"

MadridUpon entering the UGT headquarters in Madrid, it was difficult to distinguish whether it was the closing of the Congress of the Spanish Socialist Youth or a nightclub. The machine version of Pedro by Raffaella Carrà was playing at full blast while the cadres waited for the Spanish president, Pedro Sánchez, to enter the hall. A militant stood with a raised rose and two books by the PSOE leader in his hand —Manual de resistencia and Tierra firme—, which Sánchez dutifully signed as he passed by him amidst shouts and applause. It is the staging of what the PSOE wants to do after fifteen days of judicial earthquake: counterattack.

Minister Óscar Puente already began on Thursday warning of an attempt to overthrow the Spanish government by "undemocratic methods" and Sánchez continued this Sunday defending his project and sending a message to the right: "Socialists never give up a battle as lost." "We continue with our roadmap. Until 2027 and beyond," he stated, also appealing to the possibility of being re-elected in the next elections if "Spaniards wish." In other words, the manual of resistance once again and at maximum power, as he accused the opposition of being "liars" and of wanting to "overthrow him with evil arts" after the outbreak of the Zapatero case and the presence of the Civil Guard this week at the Ferraz headquarters for the Leire Díez case. For the PP, this attitude of the PSOE is an "offensive against the foundations of the State," a "danger to democracy," in the words of the secretary general of the Popular Party in Madrid, Alfonso Serrano, this very Sunday.

Sánchez, during his speech at the congress of socialist youth, which as usual in rallies he gave in a denim shirt with his sleeves rolled up, played with two concepts: "determination" and "time". Determination in the face of attacks from the right (with whatever surname: political, judicial or media) and time for his partners so that the transformations he considers the government is carrying out "take root" in society. At this point, he listed the policies of his executive with the plurinational parliamentary majority: Sánchez cited the right to euthanasia, the reform to shield the right to abortion promoted by the Spanish government, the cultural bonus or the reduction of youth unemployment and temporality with the labor reform, in addition to the regularization of migrants and the international progressive agenda. He did not explicitly mention the amnesty law — it has been two years since it was approved in Congress this weekend—, which set the right wing on a war footing at the start of the 2023 legislature and which the judiciary resists applying to the independence leaders: Carles Puigdemont remains in exile almost ten years after 1-O and Oriol Junqueras.

The Spanish president did refer to another anniversary: this Monday marks eight years since the motion of no confidence that ousted Mariano Rajoy following the corruption ruling in the Gürtel case and brought him to power in Moncloa. In this regard, he wanted to proclaim that much has been achieved since then and that we must continue "moving forward," as in his opinion "Spain is experiencing its best moment in 45 years." "We do not deny the problems, but we cannot deny the results either," he defended. Previously, the new president of the Socialist Youth, Aránzazu Figueroa, the first woman to lead this youth organization, closed ranks with her leader, considering him the "beacon" of global progressivism.

The flag of 'if you don't go, they return'

Salvador Illa insisted on the same this Sunday from the Festa de la Rosa in Tarragona, where he stood by the Spanish president: "We respect justice. We are not afraid of justice," he said, adding: "We do not surrender and we do not bend." Not all socialists, however, see it the same way: this Sunday, the former Minister of the Presidency under Zapatero and historic leader of the PSOE, Ramón Jáuregui, called for an "urgent" extraordinary congress to revive the party's internal debate. A party in which, according to various socialist sources, there is currently not much criticism to build an alternative to Sánchez.

The flag of 'if you don't go, they return'

Regarding judicial cases, Sánchez also issued a warning: he boasted, without explicitly naming them, of having taken measures when cases of alleged corruption emerged, alluding to the former organization secretaries of the PSOE, José Luis Ábalos and Santos Cerdán, both of his close confidence. But he also said he would act with "forcefulness" against "lies": that is, they will react to cases they deem unfounded, such as that of his wife Begoña Gómez or that of his brother, who has already appeared in court this week.

What's more, he compared his stance on alleged corruption cases to that of the PP, explicitly citing the author of the phrase that has caused the most sensation this legislature: José María Aznar and his quien pueda hacer que haga. He pointed to their economic policies of the nineties and 2000s, which he believes led to corruption, especially in urban planning, and also their support for the United States in the Iraq War, in contrast to his confrontation with Donald Trump. In fact, Sánchez also played the comparison card to defend his continuity in Moncloa: he recalled that it is him or the PP and the far-right Vox, with their "national priority" and "xenophobic" policies. A textbook "if you don't go, they return next year" that served the PSC in Catalonia so well in 2008. Will it work again?