The PP does not play its cards well

MadridPolitical life in Madrid is currently unfolding between two scenarios. Firstly, the courts, due to the start of the trials in corruption cases involving the PP and the PSOE. And secondly, in the realm of international relations, concerning everything related to the situation in the Middle East, after a precarious two-week truce was announced, with very uncertain results. These are very diverse matters, which obviously have nothing to do with each other, but which, if followed closely, give a fairly accurate idea of the current standing of political forces, particularly those of the Popular Party and the Socialists. The start of the trial of the Ábalos-Koldo-Aldama case network was, and will continue to be in the coming weeks, a great opportunity for the PP to capitalize on the exhibition of the reprehensible procedures used by the former Minister of Public Works and former organization secretary of the PSOE, his advisor, and the businessman who did business with them, in relation to public contracts to acquire sanitary material, allegedly violating legality in a tragic context, that of the covid-19 pandemic.

Beyond the farce into which the oral hearing has turned, the most interesting thing has been to observe that the Popular Party has not managed to take advantage of the opportunity offered by the testimonies, mainly those of Ábalos's ex-partners and the businesswoman who explained how she delivered bags of money to the PSOE headquarters, worth 90,000 euros. The Popular Party's leadership has not focused on the trial and has scattered its messages, making serious mistakes, particularly regarding its position on the international crisis opened by the war in Iran. The Popular Party has made it clear that they do not have a clear position regarding Donald Trump's support for Benjamin Netanyahu. Even Pope Leo XIV went further than the PP leader himself, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, in their respective statements last Tuesday. “The world is better when a tyrant falls,” Feijóo said at the start of the war. And this week he specified that “the West is not this,” in relation to Trump's threat to “destroy a civilization,” finally calling for “restraint” and “de-escalation” this Friday. More forcefully, the pontiff condemned “the blasphemy of war and the brutality of business,” adding that “it will not be military actions that create spaces of freedom or times of peace.”

The statement by Jéssica Rodríguez

The PP would have been enough to let the voice of Jessica Rodriguez, the “registered dentist” after having been an “image hostess”, as she defined herself, be heard at full volume, without looking for other headlines, rejecting the questions of Ábalos's lawyer about whether she had engaged in prostitution. This ex-partner of the former minister explained in detail how the former socialist organization secretary commissioned her to move into an apartment for their meetings and how, in parallel, with Koldo's help, she was successively hired by two public companies for which, in reality, she never worked.

This single statement seriously damaged the image of the socialist organization, taking into account Ábalos's organic position, in addition to his condition as minister. Jessica Rodriguez arrived at the Supreme Court well covered, to hide her image as much as possible. On the other hand, Ábalos's second ex-partner, Claudia Montes, former Miss Asturias, accessed the building greeting the media, and her statements were even more explicit, especially regarding the fraud in her labor contract. Especially relevant was the mention that Koldo gave instructions not to bother her because she never went to work. What she did do – she added – was go to a library to read “books about trains”, as she was hired by Logirail, a company in the sector.

In essence, the most important part of these statements had already been made in appearances during the investigation or in the reports of the Central Operative Unit (UCO) of the Civil Guard, which is the one that has investigated the case. The trial confirms this and places Ábalos and Koldo in a very complicated situation. For them, the outcome of the case has a bad prognosis. The position of the businessman Víctor de Aldama is not very different, even though the prosecutor asks for seven years in prison, many less than the 24 for Ábalos and the 19 and 6 months for Koldo. All in all, this was a very favorable week for the government's wear-and-tear strategy followed by the PP. For the popular party, it will be now when the headaches begin with the resumption of the trial on the Kitchen case. In this case, the former leadership of the Interior Ministry, headed by former minister Jorge Fernández Díaz, a trusted man of former president Mariano Rajoy, just as Ábalos was of the current president, Pedro Sánchez, is being prosecuted.

The Kitchen case

The Kitchen case is an old affair, but one that still harms the PP, despite it now having a different direction. The fact that the State apparatus was intended to be used to prevent the progress of investigations into the structure organized by the PP's former treasurer, Luis Bárcenas, in order to maintain a parallel accounting to the official one, carries significant weight. In any case, it makes little sense to consider these cases as a kind of trial of bipartisanship. It is evident that these are cases of corruption that undermine the credibility of the affected parties, but they do not destroy their work of government. However, it is clear that neither party was capable of promoting detection mechanisms to prevent corrupt practices, nor did they react forcefully when the facts began to emerge. It has never been explained, for example, why Ábalos was dismissed as minister, but continued as a deputy.

Everything that is happening leaves any speculation about a possible change of cycle in Spanish politics in the next general elections in suspense. We now have to see what happens in the Andalusian elections and what the pacts between the PP and Vox in Extremadura will be like. Meanwhile, the PP spokesperson, Ester Muñoz, has made a significant hole in her party by downplaying the detention of a Spanish sergeant by the Israeli army. This is further proof of the lack of orientation and sensitivity of the popular party regarding everything that affects the Middle East crisis.