Sánchez denounces the "political causes" against his family and maintains that he will exhaust the legislature

MadridDuring the review of the political year before the summer holidays, Pedro Sánchez made no mention of anything related to the judicial fronts around the PSOE – he spoke briefly about corruption and only when referring to the approval this Tuesday in second reading of the public integrity law–, nor about his personal environment, until the journalists' turn to ask questions. Sánchez was asked about the Zapatero case and the explanations of the former Spanish president, but also about the proceedings affecting David Sánchez, his brother, and Begoña Gómez, his wife. And in this latter sense, the head of the Spanish executive did not shy away from addressing it fully.

More than a year ago, Sánchez took five days of reflection on how he was experiencing the Begoña Gómez case, and this Tuesday he once again made it clear that it is not just any judicial process. Nor is the one that has affected his brother, recently sentenced to nine years of disqualification for prevarication, and whom he has defended. "He is not my brother, he is David Sánchez [...]. She is not my wife, she is Begoña Gómez [...]. They have studied and worked all their lives. They have a past of integrity and professionalism, and many times we dehumanize them," Sánchez defended after reviewing both their résumés. Immediately afterwards, he did not hesitate to denounce that they are suffering from a "political cause." "It is evident that there is an intention on the part of the popular accusations and the political parties Vox and PP, who present themselves as a political cause and whose only proposals are to increase prison sentences," Sánchez stated.

The court cases have become the Spanish government's biggest headache. In fact, they are one of the reasons why this Tuesday's review was presented as one of the most complicated for the central executive, especially for the socialist wing: after the Ábalos case and the Cerdán case, the indictment of former president José Luís Rodríguez Zapatero has been particularly damaging. Pedro Sánchez, however, maintains his confidence in him. He supports him and argues that there is nothing illicit in the rescue of the Plus Ultra airline, the reason for which it is in the spotlight of justice. "The Plus Ultra file has been examined actively, passively, and peripherally. Its legality is unquestionable," Sánchez said.

Four-year term

All of this has cast doubt on the future of the central executive in recent months and has aggravated instability in Congress, where the investiture bloc has not functioned for some time. In any case, the Spanish president maintains his intention to exhaust the mandate: "The legislature lasts four years," he said. And he has committed to "present and approve" general state budgets (PGE) for 2027. Junts, however, has already warned that it does not want to negotiate – for now it has voted against the deficit and debt targets, the first step to preparing them – while the PNB flirts day after day with the idea that without public accounts in the State (those of 2023 continue to be extended) the only way out is the call for elections.

The socialist leader appeared from Moncloa starting at 12 noon after the last cabinet meeting before the summer break, which has been marked by the fires that have burned in the State in recent days and which have kept thousands of people evacuated and confined. In fact, Sánchez began his appearance announcing the activation of state aid for those affected by the fires, warning about the dangers of the "climate denialism of the right" and attacking those who champion it, targeting Vox, but also the PP for, in Sánchez's opinion, giving it legs when it forms regional governments with them. Finally, he also censured those political leaders who become "spokespersons for lies and disinformation". "The forestry law does not prevent what they say it says. Cleaning and clearing plans are the responsibility of the autonomous communities," said Sánchez in an implicit reference to Isabel Díaz Ayuso, who claimed that the regulations "make it difficult" to do so.

As he did last year after the summer's wave of fires, Sánchez said it is urgent to approve a State Pact for the Climate Emergency and has again pressured the leader of the Popular Party, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, to commit to it. He avoided, however, specifying whether he would be willing to meet with him or, at least, call him: "The government is always willing to debate with the opposition. I wish it were a constructive rather than a destructive opposition [...]. Their doors are open." "There is no other agreement more necessary for the country," he insisted.

Sánchez smiles with the economy and amnesty

However, Sánchez has once again found in the economy and European funds a way to vindicate the work of the coalition government – the "common sense" agenda – and to instill optimism, particularly thanks to the labor market, which is closing the second quarter with an unemployment rate below 10% and a record 22.78 million employed.

The head of the executive has taken the opportunity to boast that Spain has become the European locomotive in economic terms: "It generates nearly half of the employment in the European Union," he stated. And he has further emphasized this at a time when the international context is marked by wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. "The [Spanish] economy knows how to navigate in a complex context," he stated. All of this serves as a boost for him, but also to attack "neoliberal activism" which, in his opinion, the PP practices and which in crisis situations translates into "cuts," he said.

In contrast, the PP has not been slow to capitalize on his speech. "It is triumphalist," criticized the Secretary General of the PP, Miguel Tellado. "He lives completely out of reality. He is immersed in a bubble of lies, privileges, and corruption," he sentenced.

Be that as it may, Sánchez, who before finishing wished a "happy holiday" to the journalists who followed the press conference, will not have it easy to navigate the final stretch of the legislature. Not least because this Monday he had to announce the postponement of the new housing decree – which included the extension of rents until 2028 – due to a lack of support in Congress. The Ministry of Housing has promised to approve it in September, but the investiture partners, and especially Junts, have not given him guarantees of an agreement.

Finally, the other element that makes the Spanish president smile is the amnesty law. This time, Sánchez did not wait for press questions to talk about the regulation. With the position of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), Sánchez believes that not only is the law "endorsed," but also the strategy of "reconciliation." "It was a brave and necessary decision," he said, and he even applauded that Alberto Núñez Feijóo "is queuing up" to meet with Carles Puigdemont: "It would be a success of the law," he concluded.