Barons and historical figures of the PSOE fold before Sánchez: "It is the end of the socialism of Suresnes"
The recount of the votes on election night was not only experienced with disappointment in Genoa. In a sector of the PSOE, the anti-sanchistas, the taste was bittersweet when it was confirmed that Pedro Sánchez did not win the elections, but he improved in data and could choose to repeat in Moncloa with greater dependence on the separatists than four years ago. As militants, many of them historical, they will always celebrate a victory of their initials, but on this occasion, as confirmed to El Confidencial, “we needed a catharsis to re-found the party.”. “With these results, no one can dispute his leadership,” laments a historic socialist who recalls that last year the forty years of Felipe González's victory in 1982 were commemorated and “there is nothing left” of that party. “It is the end of Suresnes”, he says, while acknowledging that Sánchez is the one who has “absolute control” of “this” PSOE which, in his opinion, is far from its origins. “Sánchez is in charge of a block, not of the PSOE”, explains another former socialist leader, who shows that “the majorities, the autonomy of the acronyms, to govern without ties” have been renounced in relation to the fact that Sánchez is “euphoric”, since with his partners he will be able to maintain power with a PSOE in 121 seats.
The territorial leaders who have declared themselves in recent years openly opposed to the pacts with Catalan separatists and Bildu remain silent. The only one who has maintained power, Emiliano García-Page, was very prudent when referring to the future in the investiture of the other survivor, the Asturian Adrián Barbón. The Castilian-Manchego appealed to the understanding between the PP and PSOE in the great State pacts, aware that it is a toast to the sun. He made it clear that there will be no defecting deputies who facilitate an investiture of Albero Núñez Feijóo. The popular leader must abandon all hope of that path.
The Aragonese Javier Lambán or Ximo Puig, who blamed the Moncloa agreements for their defeat on 28-M, are missing. Both know that there will be a relay in their federations in the coming months and in the case of the former he is sitting down. Lambán has conveyed in private conversations that he would give his votes to make Jorge Azcón president in Aragon and free him from dependence on Vox, but he no longer commands. 23-J has mowed down any option of resistance to Sánchez.
The critics of the party had been preparing the post-Sanchism since the debacle of the regional and municipal. They knew it would be difficult because the PSC, the strongest federation, as has been shown in the parliamentary elections, was going to support Sánchez if he had wanted to continue at the head of the party, even not adding to repeat as president. Sánchez had also designed a parliamentary group to suit him, fighting with the barons to place like-minded. In Aragon the boycott of the “dolphin” by Felipe González, Ignacio Urquizu was very clear.
There were underground contacts, although plans were designed in parallel based on the interests of each one. The party was even divided between the “left” PSOE represented by the sector of Adriana Lastra y Barbón, who was thinking of making the leap, according to Asturian PSOE sources, and those of the “right” who placed Page or Lambán. Yes, there was a quorum in which, no matter how heavy the defeat, the slogan was to let Sánchez take the first step. In 2016 they made mistakes, they insisted, to convert the president into a “martyr” and this time they would not rush. “If we have to kill him seven times, we will do it,” he came to slip from the territories where they assumed that Sánchez would fight. In his team they estimated the seats at 110 to be able to elaborate a resilience story. everything is past. Also the manager who had prepared. Whoever led the party when the abstention to let the PP govern, Javier Fernández, had also been contacted. In October there would be an extraordinary congress to elect the new leader and “repeal” sanchismo.
Some baron was already running for society. The priests like Alfonso Guerra spoke in public without embarrassment, as they had been doing for years in private. The operation was underway, but it was cut short. The verdict of the polls, as explained by a member of the PSOE, is that they do not penalize the agreements with Bildu or ERC and anticipates that Sánchez will reissue them with Puigdemont and there will be a legislature. In the negotiations with the fugitive, curves within socialism are expected where there will be gnashing of teeth and some statements of public rejection of the traditional detractors of these agreements and “little more”.
On the other side they downplay these movements. A minister related to the president is “surprised” by the “ignorance” that many of his colleagues have of what “the party is today”. Regarding the conspiracies to oust Sánchez prior to 23-J, he summarizes: “Holy Innocence, ora pro nobis”.