Together gives Pedro Sánchez leeway: "We are responsible people. We will not take rash measures."

Madrid / BarcelonaHaving concluded the first meeting of the Socialist executive since the Santos Cerdán case, Pedro Sánchez is focusing these days on his parliamentary partners. The Socialist leader joined forces with his supporters to remain at the head of the Spanish government, and for now, the plurinational majority in Congress is agreeing to give him some breathing room. This is what happened this Tuesday at the meeting between the president of the Spanish executive and Junts (Junts). Despite being the investiture ally that has caused him the most headaches this term, Carles Puigdemont's party has abandoned the harsh tone and threats used on other occasions. "We are responsible people. We know the seriousness of the situation. We will not take hasty measures; we will take them with what is best for Catalonia in mind," stated Junts Secretary General Jordi Turull, upon leaving the hour-and-a-half meeting at Moncloa Palace, which he attended with the spokesperson for Congress, Míriam Nogueras.

Turull explained that Sánchez, immersed in the crisis over the alleged corruption case that has left him without a number three in the party, has asked for time. Junts has agreed to give him a certain amount of leeway, which, according to the pro-independence leader, his party also needs because the loss of his trusted interlocutor in the PSOE has also been a shock. "He has asked us for a few days to specify the person or persons who will form part of the delegation [that met with Junts in Switzerland]," Turull said during a press conference outside Congress. Junts is clear that they will not accept just any name and want an interlocutor who is an authoritative voice with decision-making power, as Cerdán had been in the PSOE until Thursday. In this sense, Sánchez conveyed to them that he has "the will to continue the validity of the Brussels agreement," which has now been interrupted. Turull and Nogueras demanded guarantees for compliance if he does not want to lose the trust of the seven Junts deputies in the Spanish chamber.

For now, the Cerdán case has already caused the Spanish Prime Minister to break a taboo. This Tuesday, he received, for the first time, a former political prisoner from the Process, Turull, at the Moncloa Palace. It is the photo that the Junts had requested from Sánchez to discuss whether or not they can continue with their mandate: given the seriousness of the situation, it was necessary to do so directly with the highest official of the Socialists and the Spanish government. This has resulted in Sánchez meeting for the first time with a leader of the 2017 government, after having been pardoned by his government and still pending amnesty. Junts sources consulted by ARA positively assess the fact that the Spanish Prime Minister has agreed to do what they had asked of him. However, Turull has warned that more meetings will be needed, as this initial meeting, in which Sánchez has been seen to be affected, "has not been able to finalize anything," and has emphasized that, despite the leeway given, they need "a lot" of specificity regarding the required guarantees.

In fact, one of the planned events since the beginning of the PSOE-Sumar government's term is the meeting between Sánchez and former President Carles Puigdemont, which remains to be seen whether it will actually take place following the outbreak of the new corruption case affecting Sánchez's entourage. Likewise, the meeting between Sánchez and the president of Esquerra (Republican Left), Oriol Junqueras, is also pending. The Spanish president will meet with the Republican spokesperson in Congress, Gabriel Rufián, also at the Moncloa Palace, as part of the round of meetings with the parliamentary groups the day after the meeting with Turull and Nogueras. Rufián will question Sánchez about the Cerdán case beforehand during the Congressional oversight session. "We will demand explanations and, above all, that he take action, especially against the corruptors," the Republican said in statements in the corridors of the lower house. Tomorrow will also be the turn of the PNV and EH Bildu.

Seize the moment

In recent hours, sources from Junts have only conveyed one message: their intention is to take advantage of the "moment of crisis" Sánchez is experiencing to further leverage his relationship with the Spanish government. Junts still has the amnesty case pending, which the Constitutional Court must rule on next week, in addition to the official status of Catalan in Europe, the transfer of immigration powers (which Podemos is banned from the Congress of Deputies), and also the economic agreement case, which they also included in their investiture pact. Other groups within the plurinational majority, on the other hand, are pressing ahead with corruption-related cases in the wake of the Cerdan case.

This is the case with ERC and also Sumar, which has also demanded measures against corruptors and the creation of a state anti-corruption office that would operate "independently and autonomously." For now, however, they are waiting to see if more evidence emerges against the PSOE, with no threat of a split. The harshest voice was that of Ione Belarra, leader of Podemos, who said she would not meet with Sánchez and described him as "part of the problem." Also raising their voices were Compromís and the Aragonese Xunta, members of Sumar, as well as the BNG, which announced it would not attend the meeting in Moncloa because it refuses to "whitewash" the PSOE.

Sánchez will appear on July 9.

In parallel with the round of contacts with his parliamentary partners, Congress has set a date for Sánchez's appearance to explain the Cerdán case, one of the measures he announced yesterday, Monday, along with the commission of inquiry into the Koldo case to address the crisis. The Socialists registered this Tuesday. It was not as if it had been earlier. Only the PSOE has defended this date. The PP, in fact, has tried, so far unsuccessfully, to force him to appear this week in an extraordinary plenary session, but whether it is convened depends on the speaker of the lower house, Francina Armengol, who has refused to debate it. The meeting was held on Tuesday afternoon, with boos with Armengol demanding this immediate appearance.

The PSOE is hiding behind Sánchez's international agenda and the fact that he also needs "time" to maintain his rounds with the groups and digest what he says. ERC's leader in Congress, Gabriel Rufián, criticized the decision on X: "They tell us that the president of the government cannot appear in Congress anymore because he must fulfill his international agenda. He should understand that to continue fulfilling this agenda, he must remain president of the government." The criticism from the partners for delaying the delay was unanimous, and Sumar asked Sánchez to make an "effort" to appear earlier.