Spain’s ruling party faces crunch regional poll amid sexual abuse claims

MADRID – A string of sexual misconduct scandals within Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s party is alienating the very group of voters he cannot afford to lose: women.

The government in Madrid has been roiled by revelations in December that party officials had shelved an investigation into sexual misconduct by a long-time aide of Mr Sanchez.

Mr Francisco Salazar, a senior figure within the governing Socialist Party, resigned over the summer after complaints by female government employees of sexual harassment surfaced in the media. 

Since then, at least four other cases involving lower-level party members or officials in local administrations have also come to light.

The developments mark a unique blow for Mr Sanchez, who made support for women a key pillar of his government from day one.

They also hand ammunition to those questioning the integrity of a prime minister who in the past has broken promises not to free jailed Catalan separatists or work with the far-left – issues which he had framed as matters of principle on the campaign trail.

The latest revelations follow a series of alleged corruption scandals involving some of Mr Sanchez’s closest advisers. The Premier has repeatedly said he had no knowledge of either the alleged corruption or sexual misconduct cases.

Mr Salazar has denied the allegations and did not respond to requests from Bloomberg for further comment. 

Mr Sanchez will have a chance to gauge the impact of the revelations on his support in a regional election in Extremadura on Dec 21, kicking off a string of crucial votes over the next few months ahead of a national election by 2027.

While Mr Sanchez has ruled out an early vote, the latest claims are eroding support for his Socialist Party from women, who have traditionally supported the Socialists over their main rival, the centre-right People’s Party. 

According to the latest poll by Metroscopia, one of Spain’s leading polling firms, only 16 per cent of women said they intended to vote for the Socialists, or PSOE. That is down from 32 per cent at the start of the legislative term in September 2023. 

“There’s no doubt the corruption and sex scandals will play a role on the road ahead,” says Dr Cristina Monge, a political scientist at Universidad Complutense de Madrid. “This is one of the challenges the Socialists will have to confront, as polls already show punishment from their female voters – a constituency that was crucial in the last general election.” 

In Mr Salazar’s case, the alleged victims’ complaints have not been brought before the courts – something the Socialist Party says is up to the women involved.

The party itself has considered his conduct “a very serious offence” and “a behaviour contrary to the ethical code”, according to Ms Rebeca Torro, who manages the party’s day-to-day operations.

While Mr Sanchez acknowledged the lapses in his end-of year press conference last week, he also sought to defend his government’s record in improving the lives of women under his tenure, touting protections for abortion rights, a new sexual-violence law, parity measures and equal-pay rules.

“We have made mistakes, like everyone. But unlike others, we face those mistakes and act accordingly,” Mr Sanchez said in a briefing dominated by questions on the corruption and sexual-misconduct scandals that have plagued the ruling party in recent months.

“Being a feminist doesn’t make you infallible, but it certainly shows you the path and the conduct you must follow when, unfortunately, you are faced with cases like these,” he added.

For many Socialist members, Mr Sanchez’s response is too little, too late.

Numerous officials are privately criticising the Premier’s personnel decisions, noting that his inner circle in the Moncloa Palace, as the government office is known, has always been composed entirely of straight men.

“Faced with gender-based violence, we feminists in the PSOE have long urged that the party’s rhetoric match the practice of the principles it claims to defend,” three spokeswomen wrote in an open letter earlier in December.

“We have demanded decisive action, preventing any scenario that might create protective environments for aggressors or silence victims,” they wrote.

The vote on Dec 21 will kick off the electoral cycle after more than a year and a half, with three more elections taking place in the coming months in regions controlled by the conservative People’s Party and the far-right Vox party. 

The Extremadura region is now governed by the People’s Party, which is seeking to improve on its last result and avoid reliance on Vox.

Opinion polls point to considerable losses for the Socialists in the central-western region, whose candidate is expected to go on trial in 2026 over allegations that he helped the Prime Minister’s brother, a classical music conductor, secure a job at a public institution. 

The vote comes as Mr Sanchez navigates one of the most difficult moments of his more than seven years in power.

Despite Spain’s strong economic performance, with growth outpacing major European economies, employment levels above pre-financial-crisis highs and credit-rating upgrades, the government has not presented a budget since 2022, and one of the more than eight parties needed to pass any legislation has said it will no longer provide support. BLOOMBERG