The ex-guru of Pedro Sánchez who believes that the PSOE can be the first force on 29-N

MadridThe name of Iván Redondo (San Sebastián, 1981), chief of staff to Pedro Sánchez between 2018 and 2021, is associated, just like the socialist leader's, with great publicity stunts. The political consultant was one of the architects of the motion of no confidence with which the Spanish prime minister first came to power. Later, from the pinnacle of Moncloa, he was also decisive in the formation of the first coalition executive between the PSOE and Podemos. After a few years away from the political front line, Redondo has been regaining media presence following the publication at the beginning of May of his book The Manual (Contraluz, 2026) and has not closed the door on a possible return to politics.

In recent days, his appearances in the media have multiplied due to the early election, the latest plot twist from Sánchez. The man who was the socialist leader's strategist during his first term as prime minister has publicly endorsed the sudden decision to go to elections on November 29. Redondo is a great fan of chess and, as recounted by the former vice president and former leader of the 'purples', Pablo Iglesias, who dealt with him during the period at Moncloa and who over the last few years has expressed his intellectual respect for him, he applied the same technique in politics as the chess master Bobby Fischer. "Making implausible moves that change the reality of the board from top to bottom," summarized Iglesias.

That is exactly what happened with the November 29th call. "The board is changing," Redondo has defended on several television programs. And this new scenario, in his view, could position the PSOE as the "leading force." Another of the political consultant's risky bets was to defend (unsuccessfully) the amnesty from Moncloa during the last legislative term, when it was still an unpopular option among socialists, although it ended up taking hold when he was already out of Sánchez's team. A departure that, as he himself explained, occurred because in September 2020 he was diagnosed with a hole in his heart, from which he has since recovered. Despite having advocated for the plurinational path, Redondo's professional beginnings were linked to the PP with his advisory work for Xavier García Albiol in the race for the mayoralty of Badalona and for José Antonio Monago for the presidency of the Junta of Extremadura.