Sánchez hopes to convince his partners to remain in the Moncloa Palace despite Cerdán's imprisonment.

Madrid"These are very difficult times for the investiture coalition. We are aware of the problem, but the solution is not to throw in the towel; we believe we can continue governing." Sources from the Moncloa (Ministry of Justice) summarized the worst period of Pedro Sánchez's seven years in the Spanish government the day after the until recently number three of the PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party) was sent to Soto del Real prison for corruption. "Seeing Santos Cerdán go to prison is an image as shocking as it is disappointing. Knowing that this image was possible in the wake of shameful and terrible events, it is still a disappointing and painful image," said the spokesperson for the Moncloa (Ministry of Justice), Pilar Alegría, at the press conference following the cabinet meeting.

Sánchez did not chair this meeting—it was chaired by the First Vice President, María Jesús Montero—because the agenda of events at the UN summit on financing for development currently being held in Seville was filled. Without waiting for Cerdán's imprisonment, on Monday he emphasized that justice must take its course and that the PSOE had already acted as soon as the evidence against the party's former organizational secretary became known. But the partners are demanding something more: measures against corruption, which the head of the State's executive is reserving for his appearance in Congress on July 9 and which, in principle, he will address this Wednesday in a follow-up meeting between the coalition and Sumar.

And Yolanda Díaz has once again raised her tone: "It's a disgrace," she said, when asked about Cerdán's imprisonment. From Seville, the leader of Sumar has demanded that the PSOE "promptly explain what happened" and warned that, in the face of corruption, one cannot act with "half measures." "The situation is very serious," reiterated the second vice president of the Spanish government. It is not ruled out that some joint proposals between both coalition partners could be agreed upon this Wednesday. "Our approach is public, and the conditions are twofold: measures against corruption, guarantees of cleanliness, and full compliance with the government's program," demanded the Minister of Social Rights, Pablo Bustinduy, from the Moncloa Palace.

For now, the Moncloa Palace believes it has the support of its other parliamentary allies. Having turned his back on the PP This Tuesday's calls for a motion of censure are a minimal oxygen for Sánchez, but the Spanish government knows that the real test is having his support in the vote. On the one hand, they boast that there are no resounding defeats in Congress; on the other, they admit that any anti-corruption measures presented will have to have his endorsement to politically overcome the earthquake of the Cerdán case. In the short term, Sánchez has ruled out elections—Alegría has insisted that the legislature will last until 2027—and also a vote of confidence that would serve to test the support of his parliamentary allies. What the calculator says is that Podemos would have in its hands whether or not Sánchez obtains the confidence of the chamber, and this Tuesday its leader, Ione Belarra, already compared the current PSOE to that of the GAL (Spanish Workers' Party) or Filesa.

The financing of the PSOE

Cerdán's imprisonment, accompanied by a forceful ruling by Judge Leopoldo Puente, has once again raised suspicions about hypothetical illegal financing of the PSOE. Alegría has categorically denied this, citing favorable reports from the Court of Auditors and external audits, although these tools are difficult to detect any illegal money. Be that as it may, the Moncloa government believes it can affirm with sufficient grounds that there has been no irregular financing of the party, which would be a red line for the party's members. "If this escalates, it should be the people who decide the future of the country," maintain ERC sources, referring to whether the corruption now implicating Cerdán, José Luis Ábalos, and Koldo García reaches further afield.

As long as the scandal remains under control, the Spanish government believes that Sánchez has already assumed the corresponding political responsibilities. They defend having demanded Ábalos' resignation when Koldo García was arrested—he was his advisor—and that Sánchez does not have to step aside now that Cerdán—one of his top collaborators—has been imprisoned because there is a key difference: the president did not know what the former number three of the party was doing. Those around the president are convinced that if there were audio recordings suggesting that Sánchez knew, they would have already been released. It remains to be seen whether Ábalos will testify in court, as he would have done in a conversation with Ok Diary, that the Spanish president warned him about the Civil Guard's investigation into Koldo in September 2023, five months before the former advisor was arrested. Following this publication, Vox has already filed a complaint against Sánchez.