Sánchez blasts Cerdán, apologizes, and rejects early elections.

Pedro Sánchez won the presidency of the government in June 2018 thanks to a vote of no confidence. It was the first and only successful vote to date in the history of Spanish democracy. That parliamentary initiative, which unexpectedly brought down Mariano Rajoy, was catapulted by the rejection of the corruption affecting the Popular Party (PP), following the resounding ruling on the Gürtel scandal. But just over seven years after that political earthquake, and in June 2025, the head of the government is not willing to be swept away by the tsunami of corruption affecting the PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party).

The Prime Minister made this clear yesterday in an emergency appearance from the Socialist Party headquarters in Ferraz, shortly after the current PSOE organizational secretary, Santos Cerdán, confirmed in a statement his resignation from all party positions and the surrender of his seat in Congress in response to the devastating report prepared by the Civil Guard's central operational unit (UCO), which contained a wealth of evidence incriminating him in the alleged receipt of commissions for the awarding of public works contracts and other irregularities, including in internal party processes. A veritable atomic bomb.

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Sánchez began his appearance with a very grave expression, apologizing to the public, members, and supporters of the PSOE. He expressed his "enormous disappointment" with Cerdán, given the "serious, very serious indications" reflected in the UCO report, which he claimed to have seen only hours before. "Until this morning, I was convinced of Santos Cerdán's integrity," the president asserted. "We shouldn't have trusted him," he emphasized, with the utmost harshness.

But he immediately asserted that he would also act with "enormous force." To begin with, he immediately summoned Cerdán to Ferraz, along with the Deputy Secretary General of the PSOE and First Vice President of the Government, María Jesús Montero. Cerdán offered his explanations and pleaded not guilty. But Sánchez demanded his "immediate resignation" and the surrender of his seat as a member of parliament, as Cerdán subsequently announced.

In light of the financial irregularities highlighted in the UCO report, and despite the fact that the Court of Auditors' reports on the PSOE have consistently been positive, Sánchez announced that he will commission an "external audit" of the party's finances. "To eliminate any shadow of doubt," he argued.

Finally, Sánchez announced that he will convene the PSOE federal committee, the party's highest body between congresses, to replace Cerdán and complete a "restructuring" of the Ferraz executive. The federal committee will be held on July 5, at the same time as Alberto Núñez Feijóo's PP holds its congress.

The president stated that "until this morning I was convinced of Cerdán's integrity."

Given the rapid pace of events, he indicated that he has not yet decided who will replace Cerdán as secretary of organization, nor what restructuring he will undertake.

Despite the scandal and pressure from the opposition—Sánchez even denounced the "siege" the government is under at the hands of the PP—he flatly refused to dissolve the legislature and call elections, as Feijóo is demanding. "There won't be an election until 2027," he argued. "Now Spain needs stability and certainty," he argued.

And he insisted that his intention is to run again as a PSOE candidate in those elections, which will be held "when the time comes, in 2027."

And although the PSOE executive leadership will be renewed in July, he also ruled out an imminent crisis within the executive branch. "Not at all," he rejected, "this is not affecting the government."

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"I have always worked for clean politics, for democratic regeneration, and for the fight against corruption," the president stated. Therefore, he asserted that it causes him "enormous indignation and profound sadness that this political project could be affected by the conduct of a few."

Santos Cerdán, José Luis Ábalos, and Koldo García, precisely three of the members of his original team since 2014 who rowed the most to help him win the general secretary position of the PSOE that year, regain it in 2017 after his ouster from the party, and arrive at the Moncloa in 2018.

The PSOE has not yet decided who will replace the organization secretary until yesterday.

Sánchez had already taken advantage, however, to respond to the alleged rigging of the 2014 primaries in which he defeated Eduardo Madina, as also reflected in the UCO report. "In 2014, I won by more than 17,000 votes," he recalled. He denied that even if Cerdán and Koldo García had rigged two ballots, this maneuver would have affected the final result of the primaries. He asserted that the process was "absolutely guaranteed."

The president insisted on asking for "forgiveness and apologies" from the public. He reiterated that his disappointment is profound, but that his response will always be "forceful." He noted that he has known Cerdán since 2014, with whom he has worked "side by side" ever since. The evidence revealed by the UCO, thus, "is a huge disappointment to me."

However, he again contrasted his response within the PSOE with that of the PP in other cases of alleged corruption. "The reality is that there are political organizations that act and react, and others that protect and conceal," he emphasized. In cases of alleged corruption, he asserted that his determination is "to cooperate with justice, not hinder it."

It was the culmination of a heart-stopping day for the government and the PSOE, where until yesterday morning they had closed ranks tightly around Cerdán. Sánchez himself had ordered them to resist at all costs. "I'm very calm; I haven't committed any illegality," claimed the then-organization secretary of Ferraz upon his arrival at Congress. But shortly afterward, the UCO report was revealed, which he himself began reading from his seat, and at that moment, his political career ended. His situation immediately became untenable; his head could only roll.

Already in the early afternoon, Ferraz released the statement signed by Cerdán. "In defense of this party to which this country owes so much, and of this government, I have decided to resign from all my positions. I will also hand in my seat as a member of parliament," he announced.

Sumar calls for a "reset" of the legislature and a "new framework of relations" in the Government

Cerdán, however, denied the accusations: "I have never committed any illegality, nor have I been complicit in any," he insisted in his statement. He claimed that by resigning from his organizational and institutional positions, he intends to dedicate himself "exclusively" to his legal defense and proving his innocence.

Meanwhile, the Second Vice President of the Government, Yolanda Díaz, made an urgent appearance this afternoon to demand that Sánchez establish a "new framework for relations" within the Executive Branch. She also called for a "180-degree turn" toward social issues to "reset the legislature" and a meeting to analyze the coalition agreement between the two parties.