The PSOE, Spain’s ruling Socialist Workers’ Party, is in a deep crisis. Former high-ranking members have taken an unprecedented step, publishing a manifesto demanding snap elections and the resignation of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. This comes in the wake of massive corruption scandals affecting Sánchez’s inner circle, which have severely shaken confidence in the party.
Former PSOE Bigwigs Call for Sánchez’s Resignation and Snap Elections
On Saturday, June 28, the manifesto was presented, dedicated to fighting corruption and strengthening transparency. It aims to restore the quality of institutions and guide the PSOE back to its original values of ethics and morality. Among the prominent signatories are well-known figures such as Juan Antonio Ruiz Castillo, Isaac García del Rio, Javier Rojo García, Yolanda del Olmo Rubio, as well as former ministers José Barrionuevo and Javier Sáenz de Cosculluela from Felipe González’s government. Nicolas Redondo, José Rodríguez de la Borbolla, and Tomás Gómez, all former leading figures of the PSOE, have also joined the call.
The main objective of the manifesto is the immediate call for parliamentary elections and the involvement of civil society in this process of democratic renewal. The manifesto emphasizes the need for a “different kind of politics” to restore public harmony, accountability, and broad majorities. It calls for a self-critical political discourse based on integrity and exemplary conduct. “At this crossroads, the citizens must have their say, and parliamentary elections must be called urgently,” it states unequivocally.
Deep Concern Over PSOE’s Party Leadership
Just last Tuesday, forty other historical PSOE officials submitted a similar letter to the party headquarters in Ferraz. This letter also called for Sánchez’s resignation and the convening of a party congress to elect a new leader. The signatories of this letter, committed to the founding principles of the PSOE, expressed their “deep concern about the serious deterioration” caused by the ongoing scandals within the party leadership.
The letter directly addresses Pedro Sánchez and criticizes the corruption cases linked to individuals who enjoy his “maximum trust,” including the last two organizational secretaries. These cases, the letter states, are in addition to a government practice characterized by “false political decisions” that have brought about an “effective mutation of the Constitution.”
The document highlights that these practices “have led to a serious institutional deterioration and fueled citizens’ distrust in the democratic system.” Furthermore, they consider it “urgent to fulfill the electoral commitment to democratic renewal.” To this end, they defend the necessity of a “profound regeneration of the PSOE.” However, they point out that this task “cannot be led by someone directly responsible for the current process of institutional decay,” and that after seven years in office, far from a “strengthening of public life,” there has been a “worrying democratic setback.”
