Black week for the President of the Government and his team, and the worst thing about the burden of the investigation into Begoña Gómez, for alleged influence peddling, and the “Ábalos case”, is that they are two issues that “burn” in the hand of Pedro Sánchez and that, furthermore, barring a miracle, they will accompany him for the remainder of this Legislature. This added pressure on an already very weakened Government, among other reasons due to its inability to legislate, gives an advantage to those who feel marked within that list managed by the Secretary of Organization of the PSOE, Santos Cerdán, with the candidates to parade for the ” “wall” of the renovation.
In the PSOE they do not forget that they came to the Government thanks to a motion of censure supported by the motto of Sánchez’s commitment to democratic and institutional regeneration. The corruption that devastated the PP in previous years, with different fronts opened at the national and regional level, made it easier for the current head of the Executive to complete the assault on the power of the Government, becoming a debtor of that commitment. And what was his advantage has become another burden for his performance in Moncloa.
Water leaks are accumulating for the president, even though he maintains his composure and Moncloa has reacted diligently to build a new argument about the Ábalos case and the corruption subplots it contains, according to the latest report from the UCO (Central Operational Unit) of the Civil Guard. These open fronts also coincide with a situation in which it has fewer and fewer resources to divert attention to other issues and shield itself from what damages its reputation.
In the president’s team they fear the cost of “the lack of credibility” of Sánchez’s word. They put it positively, in the sense that it is the “normal” wear and tear of someone who has been at the head of the Government for six years and managing, without at any time, they add, abandoning their responsibilities. But when it comes to writing the defense manual, in the face of information confirming that the truth has been untrue about the illegal trip to Spain of the Venezuelan vice president Delcy Rodríguez, the ability to remain silent is increasingly smaller. Given the UCO report, which alleges that the former Minister of Transportation knew about Delcy Rodríguez’s visit four days before it took place, and Sánchez’s “good” to Ábalos’ request to let her land on Spanish soil, the The official thesis says that the representative of the Maduro regime was invited by those who were not aware of the sanction and that she herself thought it was not a problem because “there is a mechanism that allows it.” They add that Ábalos deceived the president, but this makes meaningless the explanations that the head of the Executive has given so far about what happened in Barajas and his knowledge about it.
The partners are another important element in the earthquake of corruption since, in a minimum of coherence with the speeches they applied against the right, they should already be demanding political responsibilities because such an epidemic of corrupt people has nestled in the heart of the Government that they allowed to form. , and to which they continue to cover. The discourse that they applied against Rajoy’s Executive or against regional administrations such as the one in Madrid, when Esperanza Aguirre presided, is perfectly valid against the current team that is in charge of Moncloa. Ábalos was dismissed, but they reinstated him on the lists in the last general elections to guarantee his capacity, before the weight of the scandal forced his departure from the mixed group. And, secondly, there is that “we deserve a Government that does not lie to us”: if they wanted to, the partners would also have reason to assert it. This minimal commitment to coherence and ethical dignity clashes with the needs of each of them. Together, the amnesty; PNV, maintain stability in Ajuria Enea… But becoming complicit in the burden of corruption implies wear and tear that, for example, Sumar or ERC, in survival mode, must assess.
Ábalos and his derivatives will also be noted in the internal tensions that the PSOE is experiencing in a pre-congressional time. The party is baffled by the scope of the UCO report that became known this week and by how the investigation into the president’s wife is progressing. They have no more information than what is public, since neither Moncloa nor Ferraz have contacted the territorial leaders to come forward. But, although it is a problem for the party as a whole, the desire they have for Sánchez means that some are rubbing their hands with the expectation that the scandal will get worse and “suffocate” the President of the Government. . In an environment, by the way, in which they are afraid even of it being known that they speak, or of being seen together, in case in Ferraz they give rise to conspiracy theories and apply reprisals.