Pedro Sánchez: strength or weakness for Salvador Isla?

BarcelonaSince Salvador Illa's term began, the scrutiny sessions in Parliament have been a complete success. With a narrow majority, but one consolidated by the ERC and Comuns party, the president has been overcoming all the problems his term has presented—the incidents on the commuter trains, despite the disapproval of the regional minister, Silvia Paneque; or the DGAIA scandal—but now he risks being tainted by the Madrid episode of the Cerdán case, despite there being no evidence linking him to the alleged plot. In Wednesday's control session, the PP made it clear that it doesn't care and that Alejandro Fernández is willing to import the alleged corruption case affecting the PSOE into the Catalan parliament to undermine Isla.

Thus, the Cerdán affair highlights the fact that one of Salvador Illa's strengths this term could now become his weakness, depending on how events unfold. The president has a privileged relationship with Pedro Sánchez, which allows him to show that through dialogue he can achieve more from Madrid than through conflict, which has predominated for more than two decades. A privileged relationship that could become even more tense if the PSC participates in this weekend's PSOE federal committee. –through Montse Mínguez– He takes on an even more relevant role in the national party.

However, if Sánchez falls, as the mandate in Catalonia is extremely tied to the viability of the Spanish government—especially with regard to the new singular financing system—Illa's mandate could be left empty. Not to mention the loss that the PSC would represent if it were to lose dialogue with the Spanish state, also due to the relationships it has managed to forge in Catalonia thanks to having a foothold in Madrid. If that scenario were to occur, under a mandate of Alberto Núñez Feijóo and Santiago Abascal, Isla would be forced to transform himself completely; from a president of dialogue to one of confrontation, once again, with the Spanish state. A role for which he does not seem to be programmed.