Pedro Sánchez tests his internal strength within the PSOE

MadridIt is the cherry on top for Pedro Sánchez after this week's debate in Congress on corruption. After going on the offensive against the PP – with a classic and you too–, this Saturday the Spanish president tests his strength within the PSOE: the party meets in a federal committee with its course set for next year's municipal and regional elections. Sánchez will make a speech initial before all the barons territorials –among them the president of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa– and consulted sources foresee that they will rally around the leader. Of course, with the usual critics raising their finger, like the president of Castilla-La Mancha, Emiliano García-Page.

The atmosphere is very different from a year ago, despite new cases proliferating such as the Zapatero case, Leire Díez, or the already sentenced corruption of José Luis Ábalos. Last July, the federal committee had to renew the position of Santos Cerdán, who was removed for alleged public works commissions, which caused a great impact on the organization. But, in addition, before the conclave began, accusations of harassment against one of the members of the new team in the organization secretariat, Paco Salazar, who ended up resigning, surfaced. No surprises are expected at this Saturday's meeting, and the party aims to set a course for the regional and municipal elections scheduled for next year.

The organization secretary, Rebeca Torró, has been treading the territory for weeks to address the current situation and discuss the primaries regulation that must be approved this Saturday. The federations will be able to choose between three possibilities: hold the candidate election in July, November, or February. The PSC goes separately, as it has its own functioning.

In any case, internal movements have already begun. The deputy spokesperson, Enma López, has left her position in the PSOE executive and has announced in El País that she wants to challenge the current leader of the PSOE in the Madrid City Council, Reyes Maroto, who in the last elections came in third place behind the PP and Más Madrid. "The regulation has not yet been approved," PSOE sources stated this Friday about López's move. An indicator that in Ferraz they preferred to opt for calm and believe that she has rushed.

And while the party prepares its electoral machinery at a complicated moment, it is also renewing itself to dispute the battle of ideas. This Friday it was made public that the former president of Congress, Meritxell Batet, will chair the Avanza foundation, linked to the PSOE. The organization is the main idea laboratory for the socialists, which was launched, precisely, by Pedro Sánchez in July 2024 to focus on combating far-right discourse. Avanza was to surpass other socialist foundations such as Alternativas or Pablo Iglesias, and play a similar role to that of FAES in the PP.