PSOE and Sumar entrench their problems in a meeting with no progress

MadridThe Meeting between the PSOE and Sumar to try to resolve the crisis The coalition government's collapse following the scandals of alleged corruption and harassment by the Socialists has ended as it began, without any "significant progress." This was the criticism leveled in a subsequent statement by Sumar, the junior partner in the government, which accused Pedro Sánchez's party of "hollowing itself out" at the PSOE headquarters and the Moncloa Palace and "failing to respond to a public that demands explanations and changes." The meeting was marked by secrecy surrounding the location and time, which neither party revealed until after it took place: it was held in Congress and lasted over an hour and a half. For their part, the Socialists reaffirmed the measures they have taken in response to the alleged corruption and harassment cases and their "forceful" and "immediate" response. "We have demonstrated this and we will continue to demonstrate it," the PSOE asserted in another statement.

Representatives from the organizational secretariats of both parties participated in the meeting, so it was not at the highest level, that is, between Pedro Sánchez and Yolanda Díaz. Representing Sumar were Lara Hernández, co-general coordinator of the Sumar Movement; Lidia Muñoz, organizational secretary of Comuns; Eduardo Rubiño, member of the executive committee of Más Madrid; and Eva García Sempere, head of federal organization for Izquierda Unida. Representing the Socialists were the organizational secretary, Rebeca Torró, and the deputy secretary for organization, transparency, and democratic action, Borja Cabezón.

In any case, the Spanish president and the second vice president and public face of Sumar did meet earlier in the week, as reported by SER and confirmed by Sumar sources to ARA. According to the same sources, the vice president conveyed to the Socialist leader the "seriousness of the situation" and laid out her demands for changing course. In fact, it was Díaz who, last Friday, raised the stakes, demanding a "radical overhaul" of the Spanish government. This was quickly downplayed by the Moncloa Palace, which limited any potential changes to the Spanish government to "specific" adjustments linked to the regional election calendar. The Socialist wing remains firm in its objective of completing the legislative session. This clash led to Friday's meeting. It was yet another warning from the Sumar coalition, which, for now, is not breaking with the government.

Social agenda

While no moves are in sight, something that depends on Pedro Sánchez himself, Sumar is taking advantage of the situation to pressure the Socialist wing to advance the social agenda, especially considering that the bulk of the current social safety net measures expire on December 31st and the last cabinet meeting is scheduled before the end of the year. Thus, Díaz's party wants to maintain the extension of rental agreements that expire in 2025 and implement a universal childcare allowance. They also want to maintain the ban on certain evictions of vulnerable families, as well as the prohibition on cutting off basic utilities. "These are initiatives that directly benefit the majority of the working class," the junior partner argues in its statement. Furthermore, they are calling for more ambitious measures regarding "regeneration in matters of corruption and harassment," since the package announced by Pedro Sánchez in July, when the party's then number three, Santos Cerdán, was implicated in one of the investigations, is unconvincing. In fact, at that time, Sumar also came out swinging, denouncing the PSOE's "inaction": "They are not aware of the gravity of the situation," criticized Yolanda Díaz's party.

Now, they've returned: "This inaction of the PSOE [...] reinforces anti-politics and fuels the PP and Vox and their far-right policies. Therefore, beyond the cordiality and kind words, today's meeting did not represent any significant progress," Sumar stated. In the opinion of the junior partner, the social agenda, a government reshuffle, and further measures for democratic renewal are the only way to "fuel" the Spanish government to tackle the second half of the legislature "with force."