Spain
He kept Spain in suspense for days, but now Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has announced that he does not want to give in to the persistent attacks from the opposition. “I stay.”
For a moment, the scenario of a dismissal seemed more likely, when La Vanguardia leaked that Pedro Sánchez was visiting the king and that he was already aware of his decision. That is why the announcement came as a surprise a little later: Sánchez remains as Prime Minister of Spain.
In a long run-up, he indicated in a speech that he cannot simply say “basta” after continuous attacks. That he cannot bow to all those forces that poison politics in his country. In a “letter to the population” on X, the Prime Minister announced last Wednesday that he would consider his fate for five days. “I wonder whether it is all still worth it. Honestly: I don’t know.”
Drop
A judge’s decision to open an investigation into his wife, Begoña Gómez, to determine whether she had abused her role as “wife of” in business negotiations was the final straw for Sánchez in what he has long perceived as a witch hunt. feels. He denounced the “mud machine” and stated in the letter that “this unprecedented attack is so serious and so brutal that I need time to stop and think.”
Striking: there was no official stamp on the letter. His entourage was only informed of his decision when the letter appeared on X. In recent days, the party leadership also remained in the dark about what the prime minister would decide. Or as a top Social Democratic figure said off the record in El País: “It’s like reading tarot cards.” In recent days, thousands of supporters of the social democratic PSOE took to the streets of Madrid to express their support for Sánchez.
There was also great pressure from his party not to throw in the towel. In doing so, he would only reward the right and the radical right for their continued attacks. Or as the government’s number two, Finance Minister María Jesús Montero, said: “Of course it pays for the good guys to win.”
Opposition
However, business as usual is not an option, the Prime Minister will now have to explain very thoroughly why he pressed the pause button. The opposition will remain implacable. “Caprichoso” (“unaccountable”), narcissist, master of political games, the accusations are ready. Alberto Núñez Feijóo, chairman of the conservative Popular Party (PP), declared on Sunday that whatever Sánchez decided, he was already the politician “of the past”.
