The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party has closed its ranks around Pedro Sanchez, after he opened the possibility of relinquishing the leadership of the Spanish government in a letter issued on Wednesday, following a lawsuit filed against his wife, Begonia Gomez, for influence peddling. And corruption. The Spanish Socialists decided to turn the party's federal committee, which was originally convened to approve lists for the European elections, into a national demonstration in support of Sanchez, on Saturday, at the party's national headquarters on Calle Ferraz in Madrid.
Spanish news agency Europa Press reported that the Socialist Workers' Party (PSP) intends a “large-scale mobilization” and highlighted the fact that the party's unions in various regions provided free buses for their members to attend the demonstration outside the party's headquarters.
Two of the party's main figures are leading the challenge of supporting Pedro Sánchez, former Prime Minister José Luis Zapatero and current Vice President María Jesús Montero.
In an interview with Spanish radio “Cadena Ser” on Thursday, Zapatero asked “sympathizers” to “mobilize in favor of democracy, respect, justice and the mission of Pedro Sanchez,” stressing that this issue is “very similar” to what happened in Portugal. With Antonio Costa.
“There was an operation by the Public Prosecution that seemed to lead to nothing, and there were elections and the right won. It won't happen here. “This cannot happen here.”
According to Europa Press, Maria Jesús Montero said that she does not plan to take this position if Sanchez resigns, noting that she is “fully focused” on “helping the president so that he has enough courage to be able to continue.”
Among the senators, local leaders and heads of the regional socialist federations, many party figures showed their support for Sánchez. Salvador Illa, leader of the Catalan Socialist Party (the regional federation of the PSOE), issued a “call to raise collective resistance.” The newspaper mentioned the head of the Castilla-La Mancha region, Emiliano Garcia Page El Pais As “by far the most critical baron of Sánchez,” he rejected any political strategy, seeing only a “humanitarian reaction.”
On the part of Somar's government partners, leader Yolanda Díaz met on Friday with the ministers of her platform as well as spokespeople for the parties that make up it to discuss the state of the government after Pedro Sánchez's message.
According to the sources cited by InfoLibre, Soumare intends to continue the current government, justifying this with “the need to defend democracy and continue to advance an ambitious social agenda.”
On the opposition side, the Mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez Almeida, from the People's Party, strongly criticized the PSOE's mobilization in the Spanish capital, describing it as a “pilgrimage.”
“It seems to me a rather ridiculous spectacle to hire buses to come to a demonstration in Madrid, to try to gather emotions and show unwavering support for the beloved leader,” he said in a statement to reporters.
The text was edited by Paulo Narejao Reis
