Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez will present a “powerful” anti-corruption package in an extraordinary parliamentary session on 9 July, seeking to restore credibility after a Guardia Civil investigation implicated former cabinet members and senior PSOE officials in kickbacks, tender rigging, and influence peddling.
The scandal triggered one of the socialist party’s gravest crises, with Sánchez pledging a “forceful response” to rebuild public trust.
Sánchez initiated an external audit of party financing and appointed Rebeca Torró to lead PSOE’s organisational secretariat, replacing indicted ex-Transport Minister José Luis Ábalos and Sánchez ally Santos Cerdán.
Coalition partner Sumar demanded a “reset”, urging PSOE to establish an “anti-corruption office” and insisting Sánchez agree on measures beforehand. Government spokesperson Pilar Alegría confirmed the plan addresses coalition concerns but withheld specifics.
The crisis emboldened opposition parties. While Partido Popular (PP) leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo ruled out coalitions with VOX nationally, PP secretary general Miguel Tellado acknowledged openness to “future agreements” on regional issues. PP currently governs five regions with VOX support and maintains budget cooperation in the Balearic Islands.
Feihoo bloc, consisting of 137 PP deputies and 33 VOX deputies, is exploring a no-confidence motion but lacks the required 176 votes. Talks with Catalan Junts (7 MPs) stalled over language rights, with PP’s Xavier García Albiol ruling out “direct talks” with exiled leader Carles Puigdemont. On Wednesday, Puigdemont sharpened his critique of Madrid’s political establishment on X:
“We are not part of that bloc,’ our spokesperson in Madrid @miriamnoguerasM said at the start of her speech. Today it was essential for someone to remind everyone. Let’s not get confused: everyone knows that today’s debate at @Congreso_Es is not so much about corruption but fundamentally about power.
His remarks underscored Junts’ refusal to align with either major Spanish bloc, citing PSOE’s 2023 pact with Catalan conservatives in Barcelona and PP’s 2024 alliance with pro-independence ERC in Tarragona to block Junts.
Recent surveys show rising support for PP and VOX as Sánchez’s coalition frays. The prime minister’s survival now hinges on whether today’s reforms can stem the corruption fallout ahead of 2027 elections.
