Sánchez tries to revive the PSOE: "The captain is staying to weather the storm."

"Most of us are doing what we need to be doing. Of course, we're shocked, but you can't just jump out of the car in the middle of a curve," summed up a veteran leader at the end of the PSOE federal committee meeting. It was one of the longest meetings of the highest socialist body between congresses—almost nine hours, with only a 45-minute break for a bite to eat, and with almost fifty interventions—and also the most compromising for Pedro Sánchez, following the outbreak of the corruption scandal involving the last two organizational secretaries of Ferraz, José Luis Ábalos and Santos Cerdán, which threatens to drag down the Prime Minister and leave the PSOE devastated.

"You elected me as captain of this ship, and a captain doesn't back down when the seas are rough. He stays to weather the storm, save the course, and regain port." With these words, spoken before a demoralized and fervent federal committee, Sánchez warned that he will not throw in the towel, resign, or precipitate general elections.

The Socialist leader admitted he was well aware that "these are difficult days for everyone" due to the Ábalos and Cerdán scandal, which was compounded yesterday by the withdrawal of another of his early loyalists, Paco Salazar, while the harassment accusations are clarified. "I appear before you with a heavy heart," Sánchez admitted before the Socialist conclave. But he emphasized that he will remain at the helm "with determination and the same desire to face adversity and overcome it again."

Page urges Sánchez: "Either we regain trust, without pro-independence blackmail, or we have elections."

“I'm aware that the disappointment is great, but the responsibility to keep Spain moving forward is even greater,” the president stated. “We will continue transforming Spain,” he insisted. “Not to resist, but to move forward,” he emphasized. And he encouraged all Socialists to keep their heads high.

Despite the PSOE's morale being at rock bottom and uncertainty rife over a corruption scandal whose escalation is unknown, Sánchez attempted to revive the mood with his opening speech before the federal committee. He highlighted the achievements of his administration, now seven years into his term in office: "The record of this government is simply exceptional," he emphasized.

"The betrayal we suffered is painful, from a political and personal perspective," he acknowledged, referring to Ábalos and Cerdán. He again apologized for trusting both of them. "But the shadow of this mistake cannot make us resign," he warned.

“Call me crazy, but you can't demand the end of the government without any accusations,” replies Óscar López.

"We will defeat corruption both inside and outside our organization," he asserted, in response to "the corrupt individuals who have tarnished our acronym." He also listed a first package of anti-corruption measures, of an organic nature within the party (see attached box), before announcing a second round of initiatives next Wednesday, this time legislative and requiring the support of the majority of the investiture, before the full Congress. "We will act with the utmost force; we will not turn a blind eye and will take immediate measures," he asserted.

The measures proposed by Sánchez, in brief

Double signature : Decisions made in key party positions must be double-signed to prevent the concentration of power. Random inspections: Random inspections may be carried out on the assets of party leaders, who must declare all their income. Transparency portal: Information on the assets of political leaders and on any type of income received by the party will be expanded. Compliance : The party will provide its own resources and autonomy to an anti-fraud policy compliance committee. Whistleblower channel: The whistleblower channel will be reinforced to protect whistleblowers, and all accusations will be investigated. Anti-fraud protocol: The party will implement an anti-fraud and anti-corruption protocol, which the PSC has already developed within its internal organization.

But Sánchez also wanted to stand up to the "far-right coalition," which included the PP and Vox, and particularly former President José María Aznar, who the day before predicted he would be sent to prison for passing the Amnesty Law for those indicted for the independence process . "In our 146 years of history, we Socialists have received all kinds of threats, prison, exile, and worse. And here we are, standing, governing and moving Spain forward," he retorted. He also celebrated the Constitutional Court's recent endorsement of the amnesty, which drew applause from the federal committee, despite the rejection of leaders like Emiliano García-Page, the leading dissenting voice at the meeting yesterday.

Sánchez himself invited everyone gathered to speak "with complete freedom" within the federal committee. But all the regional leaders of the PSOE and the first secretary of the PSC, Salvador Illa, supported the president. All except the leader of Castilla-La Mancha.

"The disappointment is great, but the responsibility to move forward is even greater," the president argues.

Page called for drastic measures in the face of "the most serious crisis in terms of organizational corruption in the entire democracy." And he posed a stark dilemma, including a denunciation of agreements with Carles Puigdemont that infuriate him: "Either we regain the parliamentary trust we have lost, and not in exchange for more blackmail or obstacles from the separatists, or we hold elections."

Although the mayor of Palencia, Míriam Andrés, also warned Sánchez that he should not run again as an electoral candidate in 2027 if he completes his term, Page was once again the most critical voice at the meeting. "He's in a brutal minority," Sánchez's loyalists argued. "We're not here asking for support; we're well aware that this is Santos Cerdán's federal committee," Page's team countered.

The leader of the Madrid Socialists, Minister Óscar López, recalled that in that same Ferraz chamber, 60% of the federal committee voted in favor of Mariano Rajoy's investiture in 2016, after ousting Sánchez. "Call me crazy, but I can't believe that in this chamber, people can defend the continuation of Mr. Rajoy and call for the end of a Socialist government without any accusations," he warned. Minister Óscar Puente, leader of Valladolid, also harshly responded to Page, calling him a "hypocrite." The president of La Mancha wanted to respond, but was no longer given the floor. Ministers Pilar Alegría and Ángel Víctor Torres, leaders of Aragón and the Canary Islands, also responded to Page.

The Socialist leader says his heart is "broken," but he's not throwing in the towel over his "mistake" with Ábalos and Cerdán.

"When I'm no longer president, I will be a militant alongside my secretary general," Sánchez himself concluded, in a veiled rebuke of Felipe González's criticism.