P.EDRO SÁNCHEZ knows the drama. When he was defeated in regional and local elections last May, the Spanish prime minister immediately called national elections. Gambling all this at his weakest moment might have seemed crazy, but Mr. Sánchez overperformed, assembled a shaky majority and returned to the premiership.
Drama returned with his surprise decision on April 24 to clear his calendar until Monday the 29th, when he will announce whether he plans to remain in office. The cause of his “reflection,” he said, was an attack on his wife, Begoña Gómez. A group called Manos Limpias (“Clean Hands”), founded by a former far-right political activist, filed a complaint against her for influence peddling and a court opened a preliminary investigation.
Ms. Gómez worked at THAT’S TO SAY University, private institution, running its Africa Center for four years. Globalia, a tourism company, offered him and the center director round-trip tickets to a conference in London and considered a €40,000 ($42,800) sponsorship for scholarships and events. This proposal was sabotaged by the pandemic. Then, Air Europa, an airline owned by Globalia, was bailed out with a loan of 475 million euros. That’s not a bad return on the price of two airplane seats, if it’s true. THAT’S TO SAY says not a cent has been received directly from Globalia and will not be. (Spain has also bailed out other airlines.)
Ms. Gómez then joined Complutense University to direct a master’s program in which Carlos Barrabés, an entrepreneur, also participated. He then formed a joint venture asking for public money to help unemployed youth. Ms. Gómez signed two short letters of support. The joint venture submitted them (along with dozens of others) and won its bid.
The pillars of the case against Ms. Gómez (and Mr. Sánchez) appear fragile so far. So why his announcement? Maybe he’s really considering leaving. He has long been rumored to be eyeing an international job. The most plausible would be the presidency of the European Council, the regular gathering of European national leaders. The position is believed to be reserved for a senior center-left politician when the top posts are scrapped after European Parliament elections in June. The favorite has been António Costa, who resigned as Prime Minister of Portugal last year (to fight corruption accusations that have since seemed weaker by the day). Mr. Sánchez comes from a more powerful country, but last year he led a disappointing six-month Spanish presidency of the Council of the European Union (its political meeting of ministers). He also brought much support to Brussels with his unusually harsh criticism of Israel’s war in Gaza.
Another reason to stop might be that more details about his wife’s affairs will come to light and he knows it; better to walk than to be pushed. Another reason to leave is the fragility of his governing coalition, which relies on regional nationalists who have already caused him countless headaches. Passing the budgets will be extremely difficult, and he has already endured six years of harsh criticism from the center-right opposition. Almost any other job may seem more attractive.
The reason to stay? It could attract attention in the run-up to the European elections (and the crucial May ones in Catalonia) and perhaps embarrass the opposition. Perhaps a quick motion of confidence will energize his supporters. Only the dramatic Mr. Sánchez knows. ■
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