Pedro Sánchez: EU Socialists’ star on the brink of collapse, EPP takes dig

7 months ago 32

All eyes are on Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez (PSOE/S&D), who will decide whether to resign on Monday (29 April), with the EU’s Socialists and centre-right (EPP) nervously awaiting a move that could reshuffle the cards in Brussels ahead of June’s EU elections.

Sánchez announced Wednesday (24 April) that he is considering resigning after a court opened a preliminary investigation into against his wife, Begoña Gómez after allegations of corruption.

The prime minister said his wife would cooperate and clear her honour, but decried the allegations as politically motivated from the right, sentiments echoed by others on the left.

“It saddens me, but I know that Pedro Sánchez has been the victim of vile attacks from the far-right for a long time. I stand by Pedro Sánchez. I am confident that the situation will be swiftly and positively solved,” the European Socialists (PES) lead candidate, Nicolas Schmit, told Euractiv.

“Pedro, Europe’s progressives stand with you, your wife and your family,” said PES Secretary General Giacomo Filibeck on X.

His resignation would be a heavy hit to the European Socialists as a whole, whose power is faltering across EU countries.

At the same time, the move would also allow the Spanish prime minister to be appointed European Council president following June’s EU elections—a post widely expected to be filled by a Socialist leader.

Former Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa, a top contender for the European Council presidency, resigned after a corruption scandal hit his party. Following a snap election, the centre-right PS leader (EPP) Luis Montenegro got into government.

Sánchez’s resignation could lead to the same outcome if he called for snap elections following his decision. According to the latest polls, Spain’s centre-right Partido Popular is eight percentage points ahead of Spanish socialists.

That would leave the Socialists with only three members among the EU’s highest decision-making body: Germany’s Olaf Scholz, Denmark’s Frederike Mettesen and Malta’s Robert Abela. Contrarily, the European People’s Party currently counts on 12 country leaders.

Centre-right takes a dig at Sánchez but should be worried too

The EPP has not missed the chance to take a dig at Sánchez in comments to Euractiv, arguing they saw it coming.

“What comes around, goes around. This is what happens when you disregard and ignore people’s will,” EPP’s secretary general Thanasis Bakolas told Euractiv.

“This is a man who did not listen to what the Spanish electorate decided in last summer’s elections (…) Feijóo respected the people’s will but could not form a government despite winning the elections. Sanchez ignored the will of the people and courted the extremes just to cling on to his seat,” he commented, referring to the Socialists’ deals with Catalan and Basque nationalist parties.

At the national level, Partido Popular (PP/EPP) leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo said in a press release that Sanchez is “self-victimising” to “mobilise his voter base”, predicting that he will not resign due to “the signs of affection received”, empowering him to “continue to lead to stop the right.”

His resignation could also cause worry to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, as she would lose a close ally at a time her reelection bid is questioned as support among EU leaders and Parliament falters.

Sanchez was the first head of government to publicly support von der Leyen for a second term in July, even though he does not share the same political family.

*Additional reporting by Sarantis Michalopoulos and Theo Bourgery-Gonse.

[Edited by Aurélie Pugnet/Alice Taylor]