The PSOE spokesperson resigns due to her partner's real estate dealings

BarcelonaMontse Mínguez resigns after the scandal that has been generated in recent days by her partner's real estate businesses. The PSOE spokesperson announced this Friday that she is "taking a step back" with a "clear conscience" in a statement published on social media. "I have made the decision convinced that it is the best for the collective project to which I have dedicated my best energies," she asserts. In this way, Mínguez will not repeat as the head of the PSC list for Lleida in the next Spanish elections, as was planned, and the number 1 for the socialists in the Lleida constituency will be the Paeria councilor Cristina Morón, as approved in the party's national council this Friday.

The controversy has become unsustainable. For days, various media outlets have been publishing information about the real estate companies of Sergi Vélez, who owns about thirty rental apartments in Lleida, in addition to several companies linked to construction. At a time when housing is the main issue the PSOE wants to highlight in the election campaign, Mínguez has been one of the most belligerent against real estate speculators. From the Congress rostrum, but also in every interview she has given, she has defended that "housing must be a right and not a business". The right-wing parties have not missed the opportunity to attack from the very first moment the contradiction represented by the fact that her partner is a major landlord who is precisely doing business with the housing market.

Although this Thursday, the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, assured that, "of course", he stood by his spokesperson, less than 24 hours later he reacted to her resignation by lamenting "the level of harshness, aggression and hatred" that Mínguez has suffered in recent days. "I know she was broken, that she was having a very hard time from a personal point of view," the PSOE leader assured. Sánchez claims he tried to convince her not to do it. "We are losing a great colleague and a great asset," he declared from Brussels, where he is participating in the meeting of European Council leaders. Even so, the head of the Spanish government explained that he has not yet been able to speak directly with Mínguez, but that they have exchanged messages.

The PSOE "respects" Mínguez's decision, who has also resigned from her positions as spokesperson for the socialist executive and as secretary of Studies and Programs. "We thank her for her dedication and commitment to her responsibilities, as well as for the passion with which she has defended socialist values in each of her public interventions. Also for her consistency when voting in accordance with her principles, which have marked an entire irreproachable trajectory as a socialist," concludes the party's statement. This Saturday, the PSOE will precisely meet its federal committee to validate the lists throughout the State, headed by Pedro Sánchez.

The President of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, has also thanked her for her "commitment, generosity, and dedication to public service. "She has made a personal decision that I deeply respect and that demonstrates once again that she has always placed the collective interest above any other consideration. I am sure that she will continue to defend her convictions and contribute to the common good from any sphere," Illa tweeted.

The PP mocks the resignation

The People's Party did not take long to mock the resignation of the PSOE spokesperson and, a few minutes after the announcement, posted an ironic video on social media based on the program El chiringuito de Jugones. Previously, the popular party members had already joked about the real estate businesses of the socialist deputy's partner and, for example, this very afternoon they questioned whether she was still the PSOE spokesperson. "That the PSOE spokesperson has gone almost a week without posting worries us. Montse, are you still there? Can someone help her recover her password?", they tweeted from the official PP account.

Mínguez became one of the harshest socialist voices against the right regarding housing. Just a few days ago, she vehemently argued that the most important thing in the upcoming Spanish elections will be to ensure that "housing is considered a right and not a business," and she strongly criticized the vote against the two housing decrees by the PP, Junts, and Vox. "Masks off. It is normal that you do not like it, but say so. Here, it is a question of vulture funds or families, of speculation or supporting the social majority," the then-spokesperson for the PSOE criticized.