Election hangovers often cause headaches. For this reason, party headquarters become hotbeds for taking credit for success or ignoring failure the day after citizens speak at the polls. The PSOE achieved on Sunday resist the onslaught of the right Castile and León better than expected. The socialists gained two seats compared to four years ago and improved in number of votes. Although the PP and Vox obtained an overwhelming majority.
In part, as sources from the socialist leadership point out to this newspaper, due to the drag of the vote of the left, which opted for the PSOE ballot seduced by the banner of “No to war» that Pedro has dusted off Sanchez. But what is striking is that the electoral photograph of the PSOE in Castilla y León has unleashed a internal war for taking credit for recovering a certain electoral pulse. The growing sector criticalhostile to the general secretary, does nothing more than emphasize that both the candidate, Carlos Martínez –mayor of Soria–, and the councilors of León –José Antonio Díez– and Palencia –Miriam Andrés– “are not Sanchistas.”
«Carlos is a bit of an amendment to the Sanchista totality. He proposed that the list with the most votes govern, he undermines the strategy of bringing ministers to the territories, he has been critical of the regional financing agreed with ERC, he has not spoken about the extreme right… He has a contrary profile and that has given him an advantage as a candidate. Going up, even by 0.7, psychologically is something,” explains a party member. But the PSOE leadership directly mocks that debate.
Management sources settle any debate about Martínez’s internal assignment: “it is absurd», since the apparatus of Ferrazdirected by Pedro Sánchez, was the one who supported him to prevent Luis Tudanca from repeating as general secretary and candidate. “We were the ones who interfered in that federation, so anyone who says that Carlos is not a Sanchista does not know what they are saying,” concedes an important member of the management.
In any case, what is demonstrated is that behind this internal conflict lies another underlying debate that is more relevant if possible: whether Pedro’s brand Sanchez As Secretary General and President of the Government, he is already more than anything else after more than ten years at the head of the party and almost eight in Moncloa. That is the reason why the incipient critical sector is eager to point out that the mayor of Soria, with his style far from the kitchen Moncloahas been able to stop the accelerated collapse of the party after Extremadura and Aragón.
But in Ferraz they deny the greatest: «The Campaignalthough it has been shared with them, it has been done in Madrid. Precisely these elections have been very nationalized, because it was something that we knew would work. The slogan against war, for example,” they settle in the address. The PSOE has been experiencing a internal debate about the direction of the game and about whether Pedro Sanchez remains the best training asset.
In recent months, criticism has emerged. The former socialist minister Jordi Sevilla published a manifesto in which he asks to undertake a reflection to return the organization towards classic social democracy and distance it from the influence of nationalist and independence parties. In addition, more than 600 women signed another manifesto in defense of feminism within the party after months of drips of harassment sexual. Not only in the Government, also in the party. Although the international context has removed the scandals of the Government and the party from public debate, in truth the idea of end of cycle.
Nobody doubts that Sánchez will repeat as a candidate in 2027, when the president has the idea of calling the elections. That is, when it is constitutionally appropriate. But another story is what will happen on the day Sanchez is no longer there. The succession of scandals that has shaken the Moncloa is causing a schism in the hard core of Executive ministers, where each one plays their own game with a view to the succession of the president of the Government. This select group is made up of María Jesús Montero, Félix Bolaños and Óscar Puente. And everyone is thinking about the stage that will open in the PSOE when the next general elections are held.
No one wants to be left out. The sector criticalfor its part, also plays its trick. As this newspaper already reported, some socialists have been probing for some time Adriana Lastrawho is considered a Sanchista reference, although in his day he marked distances after his fight with Santos Cerdán. Critics organize, support each other and poll candidates. What’s more, they even do surveys on the leaderships socialists who have the best evaluation inside and outside of voters.
Lastra is clue: a necessary asset. It was not by chance, together with Cerdán and José Luis Ábalos, who led the famous Peugeot from Sánchez to Ferraz and Moncloa. If critics manage to drag Lastra into a future without Sánchez, they could send a message to socialists today trapped in loyalty to the leader: there will be no purges or sides when he is gone. But the reality is that Sanchezfor the moment, continues to lead the party.
And nothing moves inside without him knowing it. Not only that: without him authorize. Precisely, that has been one of the strongest criticisms that have been made even from the current leadership, where there are those who see the president as “too on» of all processes. There are also those who complain that Moncloa has put “all strategic resources” into Sánchez’s campaign to remain in the Government.