Analysis: Spanish government is under pressure for early elections

These last two weeks have been some of the most difficult to manage for the PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party) since the beginning of the current legislature, at least in terms of reputation.

Firstly, it was a serious blow to the party that Spain's National Audience indicted former socialist president José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero for alleged crimes of influence peddling and money laundering related to the US$61.75 million bailout that the government granted, in 2021, to the airline Plus Ultra to mitigate the impact of the covid-19 pandemic.

A heavy blow for the party, as Zapatero thus became the first former head of government of Spanish democracy to be investigated by the courts.

However, in a video message sent to the media, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero defended his innocence, stating that all his "public and private" activity has always been carried out "with absolute respect for legality" and that he has not carried out any management aimed at favoring this rescue.

Secondly, it caused a strong media impact when agents from the Guardia Civil, through its UCO (Central Operative Unit), appeared on May 27 at the headquarters of the Partido Socialista Obrero Español, as determined by the same judicial body, to request documents and electronic files related to another investigation.

An investigation in which judge Santiago Pedraz seeks to determine whether or not there was a network designed to destabilize legal processes that would affect people linked to the party and which included former members of the party, among others involved.

Pressure on the government
These investigations revolve around one of the parties that make up the coalition government, which ended up affecting the entire Executive.

In opposition, both the Popular Party and Vox consider both investigations a scandal and demand that the elections be brought forward.

But this distrust also affects two parties that supported, in November 2023, the inauguration of Pedro Sánchez as president of the government: the Vasco Nacionalista Party and the Coalición Canaria.

Representatives of both believe that the events of the last two weeks weaken the government's credibility and that, to correct the situation, it would be necessary to allow voters to return to the polls.

And the situation doesn't stop there: the pressure also affects the PSOE itself. Both the former president of the government Felipe González and the president of Castilla-La Mancha, Emiliano García-Page, defended the holding of general elections later this year.

Sánchez decides to continue
Faced with all these demands, the government decided to close ranks and affirm that it will fulfill the entire legislature, that is, until the summer of 2027.

It was the president himself, Pedro Sánchez, who guaranteed this in May, in Rome - where he met with Pope Leo XIV - stating that ruling out the anticipation of elections is fundamental to maintaining stability in the development of the Executive's political agenda.

"To this day, with wars all over the world, with crises that require effective and also fair responses from the General State Administration, it is the stability and consolidation of policies that allow us, precisely, to avoid the social and economic consequences of these crises", defended Sánchez.

When asked by the media about the latest events, he sent "all his support to President Zapatero", asked for respect for the "presumption of innocence" and assured that he will offer all the collaboration that Justice demands.

In relation to the investigation into a possible network aimed at destabilizing legal processes that would affect those surrounding the party of which he is general secretary, he assured that his party "has nothing to hide".

Time will tell what the impact of pressure on the party in power will actually be.

Source: CNN