PSOE Faces Internal Crisis Amid Handling of Francisco Salazar Case

Internal turmoil is brewing within Spain's Socialist Party (PSOE) as leaders grapple with the fallout from the handling of the Francisco Salazar case. While the scandal has raised significant controversy, it appears the leadership's response has further alienated many within the party. Five months after the allegations first emerged, the PSOE leadership finally listened to victims' accounts, only after pressure mounted from several regional federations, including Asturias and Galicia, which threatened to publicly criticize the party's inaction. Pedro Sánchez, the party's leader, remained silent during this critical period, a strategy that many party members now believe has seriously jeopardized the PSOE's image, even more than past scandals involving amnesty laws or corruption allegations tied to figures like José Luis Ábalos and Santos Cerdán. Public outrage has been vocalized by prominent socialist women, including Adriana Lastra, who have condemned the party's insufficient response. According to sources, a pervasive sense of despair is now resonating throughout many PSOE structures, with many fearing the electoral consequences of the party's handling of women's issues. These sentiments are driven by the acknowledgment that women were crucial in elevating Sánchez to power. Critics within the party argue that there seems to have been an effort to conceal the issues surrounding both the Salazar and Antonio Navarro cases—the latter being the Secretary General of Torremolinos. Alarmingly, recent reports that Salazar received help securing food and work from Minister Pilar Alegría feed into frustrations, as it suggests that the gravity of the accusations was not fully recognized or addressed by leadership. This assistance occurred without hearing from the victims first, an act that has understandably provoked outrage. The sequence of events unfolded in a distressing manner. One victim reported the circumstances to the provincial PSOE structure, subsequently escalating it to regional leadership led by María Jesús Montero, and finally to the national level, all without receiving a satisfactory response. Faced with such silence, the victim felt compelled to take her case to the Prosecutor's Office. The Salazar case, ultimately revealed through media outlet El Diario, is reflective of the disturbing patterns of neglect that critical voices within the PSOE allege. PSOE's leadership has since issued a press release admitting they fell short of expectations, but they have not clarified whether they will take legal action against Salazar, despite demands from figures like Lastra. Moreover, recent absences from key events by Minister Ana Redondo and Pilar Bernabé, the party’s top Equality representative, have further fueled concerns about the leadership’s commitment to addressing the issue. Amidst these challenges, as elections draw near in Extremadura, the opposition party, PP (Popular Party), is gearing up to leverage the PSOE's missteps to reclaim the female electorate, who they fear may shift away from the left. In their strategy, they plan to highlight the party's treatment of women, banking on the idea that discontent will lead female voters to seek alternative options. Simultaneously, the PP is preparing to confront Vox, seeking to capitalize on any dissatisfaction amongst voters disillusioned with PSOE's handling of gender issues. As coalition dynamics shift and popular sentiments are gauged in various regional elections set for early next year, the coming months may prove pivotal not only for the PSOE but for the broader political landscape in Spain. Related Sources: • Source 1 • Source 2