Sánchez faces a decisive week with all scenarios open

The ball is in Pedro Sánchez's court. While waiting for the former PSOE organizational secretary, Santos Cerdán, to hand over his seat as a deputy, as he promised last Thursday and confirmed this weekend in the Navarrese newspaper Diario de Noticias , the socialist family is holding its breath, trusting that its general secretary's next steps will provide the necessary conviction demanded by insiders and outsiders, especially the parties that supported his investiture in 2023.

Although Pedro Sánchez himself has nipped in the bud the option of calling early elections, reshuffling the government now, or submitting to a vote of confidence, at this point, few in his entourage can 100% guarantee the future of the legislature.

All scenarios remain open given the impossibility of fully defining the possible ramifications of the Cerdán case. Proof of this is the fact that the Aragon Socialist Federation announced the suspension of two party members after their names appeared in the audio recordings of Koldo and Cerdán. Voices within the PP are also calling for an investigation into the Navarrese federation, the original headquarters of the former PSOE deputy leader, as they believe it could have been a laboratory for his shady dealings.

For the Socialists, it is crucial to know the organizational measures Sánchez will adopt in the coming days. The Socialist leader will chair the meeting of the PSOE federal executive today for the first time since the resignation of Cerdán, an executive elected just over seven months ago at the 41st Congress in Seville. Cerdán was elected organizational secretary, despite having already been singled out by commissioner Víctor de Aldama.

This meeting is expected to yield more details about the initiatives announced by Sánchez on Thursday from Ferraz, such as the launch of an external audit of the party's accounts to clear up doubts about possible illegal financing of the PSOE, or the next steps to renew the Socialist leadership—and the replacement of Cerdán—which Sánchez would like to formalize at the federal committee on July 5.

Montero says she feels "betrayed" by Cerdán, for whom she once proclaimed she would put her hand in the fire

But three weeks seems like an eternity in such a tense environment. In addition to Cerdán's resignation, the party is considering whether to leave the position vacant until July, choose a temporary replacement until then, and consider the future of the former organization secretary's close associates on the executive committee.

The pressure from the opposition will not let up either, as they will not miss the opportunity to insist on their demand for elections. Nor will the pressure from the governing partner and the rest of his allies, who with varying degrees of intensity have been demanding "radical" measures from Sánchez, meetings to explore the viability of the legislature, or simply waiting to learn the true extent of the corruption network uncovered by the UCO (Union of the Workers' Union). For the moment, the government's allies share a common complaint: the lack of information, and the criticism that "it's not enough to ask for forgiveness."

A possible round of bilateral meetings with the investiture allies could take place this week to determine whether the alliances will be maintained. On Wednesday, Sánchez will attend the control session in Congress, after the UN meeting in New York he was scheduled to attend was canceled.

The Socialist leader will attend the control session on Wednesday after a commitment at the UN was canceled.

The government contacted the parliamentary groups yesterday to inform them of the change in agenda, so they can submit questions to Sánchez today. The president will have the opportunity on Wednesday to present the solutions devised this weekend to the serious crisis triggered by Cerdán.

This weekend has served to confirm the severity of the blow inflicted on his party by the former number three of the PSOE. Several Socialist headquarters (in Cuenca, Coslada, and Baza, Andalusia) have been vandalized, and the first vice president and deputy general secretary of the PSOE, María Jesús Montero, admitted yesterday that "no organization can guarantee zero cases of corruption," but it can guarantee "zero tolerance for corruption."

The minister held her swords high, contrasting the "forcefulness" shown so far by Sánchez with the PP's silence in other alleged corruption cases ongoing in Andalusia. Montero admitted feeling "deeply betrayed, hurt, and outraged by Mr. Santos Cerdán," for whom she even proclaimed she would put her hand in the fire.