Pedro Sánchez is not only determined to continue facing corruption and sexual harassment scandals in the Government and PSOE, he is also moving politically to achieve this. The president appeared for an hour in La Moncloa with a clear underlying message: the situation is difficult, the scandals hit his credibility, but he believes he still has a majority and is already moving to rebuild it.
In fact, this morning he spoke with Oriol Junqueras, leader of ERC, to take a significant step that he had not taken until now: This gesture has two compatible interpretations: on the one hand, Sánchez is so weak that he needs to take this step of allowing one of the most visible faces of the processwho spent four years in prison, and on the other hand his decision to continue is firm and his partners do not want to overthrow him either, otherwise the ERC leader would not request this appointment. In addition, Sánchez has given details of other movements that he is making as gestures to other partners, such as the request for Catalonia or the Basque Country to be members of the International Tourism Organization or UNESCO, traditional demands of Junts.
Sánchez has ruled out the profound change of government that Yolanda Díaz asks of him and has once again committed to finishing the legislature. “We have resources, we have ideas, we have desire and a very good team, and two more years to make them a reality,” he concluded, as a clear message of continuity despite the scandals.
On several occasions, the president has acknowledged that “the moment is not easy,” but he is convinced that he can continue because he has sufficient parliamentary support — he has insisted that he wins 91% of the votes — and above all because he has money to manage — he is at historic levels of tax collection and still has European funds to spend — and a project to improve people’s lives.
Sánchez has appealed to the “historical moment of Spain, Europe and the world”, with the rise of the extreme right, to justify why it is worth it for a progressive Government to exhaust its mandate. “A Government of the PP and Vox would be the biggest historical mistake in this country. I have seen Abascal go to take a photo with Netanyahu in the middle of the bombings in Gaza, I have seen Feijóo talk about a harsh divorce with a serious case of gender violence. Zero lessons. We have made mistakes, like everyone else, but we face those mistakes and act accordingly,” he defended himself.
He has also vindicated the reaction of the PSOE, despite admitting that he was wrong by not processing the complaints against Paco Salazar for five months. “The commitment of the Government and the PSOE to feminism is absolute. We are the first political organization that has decided to confront the problem of abuse with transparency and forcefulness, encouraging reporting. More than 32% of women have declared having suffered harassment or abuse in their work environments. Harassment does not have a card, but forcefulness against abuse does, and it is in the acronym of the PSOE.”
The press conference was also intended as a counterattack, especially when he was asked about a very difficult issue to explain: how is it possible that he did not find out what his closest entourage was doing? Sánchez has attacked Alberto Núñez Feijóo and his relationship with the drug trafficker Marcial Dorado. “I believe that a person is better known by going on vacation and getting on a yacht than by sharing a table in the Council of Ministers,” he said. years of relationship and campaigns throughout Spain.
The entire press conference seemed to be aimed at answering two questions: does this hold up? And for what? “We know what our responsibility is as a progressive government. We must advance a fairer economy, turn the climate emergency into an opportunity, defend the welfare state from those who seek to sell it, protect democracy from xenophobes, isolationists or autocrats. If to do so we have to put up with mud, we will do so. We feel burdened and we are going to give the best of ourselves in this second part,” he insisted.
And as proof of that will—and ability—to continue, Sánchez kept an announcement that, according to him, affects two million people who will see their purchasing power improve because the Government is going to reduce their spending on transportation by up to 60% through a new single pass for the entire country that will be 60 euros per month for the general public and 30 euros for young people. The announcement itself is a political gesture: the Government shows that it has room to continue giving good news – now the increase in pensions and the SMI is coming, and previously an 11% increase for civil servants was approved. Sánchez has even mocked, feigning a yawn, the press that despises these types of measures as “boring” and is asking the president to make more radical gestures such as a change of Government. The president resists this latest turn, although the situation is so volatile that there is no certainty. Now you have to change the spokesperson, Pilar Alegría, candidate in Aragón. He insists that he doesn’t want to play anymore, but that will only be known when he makes the decision. It is possible that the president is saving that big change for the end of a round of elections that will most likely be very negative for the left. Before June he has to relieve María Jesús Montero, a decisive position in the Executive, and it is likely that Sánchez will want to wait for that moment. What is not clear is whether the explosive political situation, with several cases still open, will allow him to wait that long.
The next spokesperson will also be a woman
Hours later, in an informal conversation with journalists during a pre-Christmas event at La Moncloa, Sánchez expressed confidence that he can exhaust the legislature and even that in 2026 “a window of opportunity” may open to recover the relationship with Junts if the pending agreements are met. The president is moving to achieve this, and has said that “amnesty and European funds will be the two great milestones of 2026.” This year it is expected that Carles Puigdemont will be able to return to Spain if the Constitutional Court gives him the protection he has requested.
In the same informal conversation, Sánchez assured that his Executive is currently in full negotiation with the Church to seek a way out of the scandal of sexual abuse in Catholic schools and institutes. Sánchez says that he wants an agreement, especially on the issue of compensation and recognition of guilt, but if it is not achieved, “the Government will act.” The president believes that this tension with the Church over this very delicate issue explains the recent political criticism of the president of the Episcopal Conference, who has asked Sánchez to call elections.
Sánchez has at all times shown a clear will to continue despite the scandals, and has even said that he is in a “great moment of form” despite the difficulties. The president has also announced that Pilar Alegría’s replacement as spokesperson will also be a woman, although he has not said who. Alegría will leave the Government shortly to be a candidate in Aragón.
