Sánchez's plan to erase Cerdán's traces in the PSOE

BarcelonaPSOE Secretary General Pedro Sánchez has put the ball rolling on the Operation Renewal he's preparing for the PSOE. In fact, the maneuver has a dual objective: first, to erase all traces of Cerdán in the PSOE by eliminating his closest collaborators, similar to Stalin's actions with Trotsky; and second, to incorporate new figures who will serve to relaunch a party still in a state of shock. And here, true to form, he has surprised everyone with the appointment of Valencian Rebeca Torró Soler as the party's new Secretary of Organization.

In theory, however, the idea is to go further and make room for new recruits by removing from the federal executive the names who, since the last congress, have assumed positions of responsibility in their respective regions, such as Pilar Alegría, the party leader in Aragon. This maneuver could free up up to ten seats that Sánchez will use to present it as a true renewal of the party. Cerdán's collaborators, such as Juan Francisco Serrano and Javier Cendón, will also resign.

Feminization of the party

Sánchez has also convened a group of notable women from the party, including María Jesús Montero, Cristina Narbona, and Pilar Bernabé, today at 4:30 p.m. to discuss the organization's new strategy. This gesture seeks to reaffirm the party's feminist character in the midst of the scandal surrounding conversations about prostitutes between Koldo García and José Luis Ábalos. This meeting offers one of the few clues about Sánchez's plans, and it reinforces the role of women in the new executive, as demonstrated by the appointment of Torró.

Two quick observations can be made about this name. The first is that the feminization of the PSOE's structure coincides with the masculinization of the PP, since Alberto Núñez Feijóo has dispensed with Cuca Gamarra and given all organizational power to Miguel Tellado. It is a contrast that Sánchez will surely try to play up. The second interpretation is that today the core Sánchezism is found in Catalan-speaking territories. The PSC, PSPV, and PSIB are where the militants are closest ideologically to Sánchez, much more so than in Andalusia or, obviously, Madrid.

But the question is: is Sánchez enough with a facelift of the party to overcome the current crisis? All sources agree that more decisions will have to be made, such as toughening the PSOE's code of ethics and reinforcing financial control, as well as presenting, in the appearance on July 9 in Congress, a credible and feasible package of measures against corruption, which is what the investiture partners are also asking of him.

For now, the main fear within the party, which was that Cerdán, Ábalos, and García they will sing in the Supreme Court and implicate the PSOE or other leaders in their dealings, this has not happened. Cerdán's political defense has been surprising, even undignified, but they actually recognize that this is much better than trying to reach an agreement with the Prosecutor's Office and turning on the fan. Sánchez's goal of getting a rubber band big enough to erase Cerdán and Ábalos from the history of the PSOE will not be easy. But this is, for now, the only plan.