Corruption scandals in Spain: Sánchez under pressure
Despite a series of corruption scandals, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is clinging to his post: at a congress of his party's youth organisation on Sunday, he ruled out new elections. Police raided the headquarters of his Socialist Party (PSOE) in Madrid last week, and former socialist prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero has been placed under investigation over alleged influence-peddling.
Barely functional
Political scientist Astrid Barrio outlines the political impasse in El Periódico de Catalunya:
“Pedro Sánchez is finding it increasingly difficult to maintain a majority capable of governing, while Alberto Núñez Feijóo [leader of the conservative PP] has still not been able to secure the support that would make him a credible alternative. Sánchez's greatest challenge is not corruption but his ability to govern. The fragmented parliament and his reliance on a heterogeneous majority are limiting his ability to act, as evidenced by the lack of a national budget. … Far from being harmless, this situation prolongs institutional paralysis, fuels polarisation and undermines public confidence.”
PM must be held to account
El País calls on Sánchez to take responsibility for his actions:
“There is too much at stake here. The spectre of decline that is leaving the French and German Social Democrats in tatters is now hovering over PSOE. … For the first time in Spain's democratic history, a xenophobic and ultra-reactionary party [Vox] is on the verge of joining the government. This is not the time for frivolity and demagoguery. … Sánchez was right in his speech on the vote of no confidence which brought down his predecessor Mariano Rajoy [in 2018], when he said that 'corruption destroys trust in institutions if it is not followed by a decisive response and exemplary action'. ... Now it is up to him to put the words he spoke eight years ago into action and let himself be held to account.”
Let him stew in court!
ABC argues that bringing a vote of no confidence now would be the wrong course of action:
“There are plenty of reasons to bring a vote of no confidence against this government, which is sinking in a maelstrom of political and institutional corruption that is pelting down on it like acid rain. … All that is missing is a sufficient number of votes to win it. … In this context, the motion would serve only to divert public attention and push the government's plight out of the spotlight. It is not the opposition's accusations but the court hearings that have cornered the Sánchez government. … The decision will be dragged out into the autumn, or at least until the end of the summer holidays, so that Pedro has to stew in a cauldron of ongoing legal proceedings.”
PM under attack from all sides
The Spanish prime minister is in the eye of a storm, La Stampa reports:
“His opponents in the [conservative] PP are calling for new elections, the Vox party has denounced a 'mafia system', and the [left-wing] coalition partner Sumar has warned him not to cross certain 'red lines'. The seven Catalan MPs from Junts could pull the plug at any moment, as could the six Basque nationalists from the PNV. ... Europe's last socialist head of government is facing his most difficult period. Yet the prime minister has displayed enviable composure: full cooperation with the judiciary, unconditional support for his friend and mentor José Luis Zapatero, and no plans to call new elections. At least for now.”
People are exhausted
Author Azahara Palomeque comments on the case in El País:
“The charges against José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero are yet another inescapable blow in a series that is leaving us bereft of leaders. ... Representative democracy seems incapable of producing a leader who actually keeps their promises, and the agonising wait for one who does is exhausting citizens. ... Whether Zapatero is guilty or not remains to be seen; the problem is that dissatisfaction is growing as the legal proceedings drag on endlessly. ... The downfall of our idols coincides with the rise of techno-fascism, an uncontrolled climate crisis, the weakening of the welfare state and a cognitive decline of unprecedented proportions, driven by excessive screen time.”
A coup in slow motion
Author Javier Valenzuela criticises Spain's judiciary and media in an article on eldiario.es:
“It's best not to take sides. If something like this can happen to Zapatero and to Sánchez's wife and his brother, if it can happen to the Attorney General and could soon even happen to the prime minister himself, just imagine what they could do to us. ... They can drag you through the dirt for years until, in the end, after you're already dead, a European court declares you innocent. Some call it a slow-motion coup. ... The overthrow of legitimate governments with armed force is frowned upon in the West, which considers itself democratic, but this can just as easily be achieved through legal proceedings and media campaigns.”