There is one week left until the PSOE celebrates its 41st Federal Congress in Seville. The general secretary of the socialists and president of the Government, Pedro Sanchezwill be re-elected in a conclave that has been put on the back burner due to the consequences of the DANA that occurred on October 29. “It will be a Congress in which Valencia and the Valencians will be very present,” Ferraz indicates.
Mentions of the tragedy in the Valencian Country are constant these days when socialist leaders are asked about Congress. “It is obvious that the situation has changed,” is one of the most repeated messages in Ferraz. In Moncloa they have devoted themselves practically full time to this issue and the socialist leadership has taken a backseat except on rare occasions to defend itself from the “hoaxes” of the PP and Carlos Mazón.
He low profile of Congress, a few days away, is evident. In principle it will continue until after Sánchez’s appearance in the Congress of Deputies, scheduled for Wednesday the 27th. The usual festive events in this type of event have been eliminated from the program. But that does not mean that the pending political debates will not be held. That “renewal of the speech” that Sánchez himself pointed out in the month of October.
The Federal Congress also arrives at a complex moment for the PSOE at the judicial level. Another one. The statements of Victor Aldama in the National Court on alleged commission charges by Santos Cerdán generated a very rapid reaction on the part of the socialists. They rejected all accusations outright and announced legal action against the businessman for falsely alleging crimes. But at the same time these accusations will serve, according to the sources consulted, as a “closing of ranks.”
Apart from the political content, there is the organic content. As is usual, Sánchez has not yet given too many clues about the changes he will make in the leadership of the PSOE. The logical thing is that they will not meet until Saturday the 30th in Seville. Different sources consulted believe that both Cerdán, Secretary of Organization, and Maria Jesus Monterodeputy secretary, aim to continue in their positions. But they are just sensations. It seems easier to change the spokespersons both in Ferraz, now in the hands of Esther Peña, and in Congress, with the possible departure of Patxi López.
After the Federal Congress, territorial processes will arrive in cascade. Here there will be more movements, predictably. There are still many doubts about the continuity of some regional general secretaries, especially Luis Tudanca, Juan Lobato or Juan Espadas, among others, respectively in Castilla y León, Madrid and Andalusia.
Not only regional financing
The main political debates that will take place in the Federal Congress have to do with regional financing. Several federations have introduced amendments to the mentions of this in the framework presentation. But even from the territories most critical of the pact in Catalonia between PSC and ERC They point out that blood will not reach the river either and that it will be dealt with normally. The idea is to find a formula in the final text that does not harm any territory.
The federal leadership of the PSOE also places emphasis on other new issues. One of them is the vote at 16 years oldrequested especially by Socialist Youth and which is an issue that generates internal debate. The framework presentation includes it for the first time.
Also noteworthy are proposals such as the citizen seata space for direct citizen participation. They explain in the PSOE that this seat will not have a permanent holder or the right to vote, but it can be used by different representatives of civil society to ask questions in the control sessions to the Government.
The focus, also related to DANA, will also be on the fight against the climate crisis. “Right now it is vital that the PSOE takes a clear position against the deniers of the PP and Vox,” Ferraz sources highlight. “If we do nothing, DANA will become increasingly destructive,” highlights the framework presentation.
From the socialist leadership they remember the clear leadership of Sánchez, who has hardly any internal questioning. They contrast it with the weakness of Alberto Núñez Feijóo in the PP and its successive decline in popularity in the polls. The latest barometer from the Center for Sociological Research (CIS) indicates that only 8% prefer Feijóo as President of the Government, which indicates that there are many doubts even among popular voters.
The appointment, if there are no more unforeseen events, comes in a context of two relevant political victories for the socialists. On the one hand, the tax package approved on Thursday in the Congress of Deputies, after a negotiation that cost a lot, almost more than ever. Precisely the socialist leadership, with Sánchez at the head, is trying to normalize the current devilish parliamentary arithmetic.
“That is the reality with which we must live and to which we must know how to respond. Does that mean that political life and governance have become more complex? Yes. Does that mean that this fragmentary scenario is necessarily negative? No,” Cerdán wrote in March in an article published in the magazine Topics.
On the other hand, the choice of Teresa Ribera as vice president of the European Commission despite Feijóo’s maneuvers in Brussels. Ferraz highlights that the Federal Congress will receive Ribera, who will be in Seville, as the Spaniard with the most power in the history of the European Commission.
#PSOE #Congress #convened #acclaim #Sánchez #remains #background #due #DANA #tragedy
