Spanish PM apologizes and unveils anti-corruption plan to rebuild trust

Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez addressed Congress on Wednesday in a crucial session aimed at reconciling with coalition partners amid the ongoing corruption crisis.

Sánchez began by apologizing for placing trust in two of his top aides, Santos Cerdán and José Luis Ábalos, both allegedly involved in illegal commission payments linked to public contracts.

The PM admitted that in the early days of the crisis, he contemplated resigning and calling a snap election.

However, Sánchez said he ultimately concluded that "throwing in the towel was not an option."

He insisted that he had no knowledge of the alleged criminal activities carried out by Cerdán.

"That was my mistake, because I was convinced he was a humble and honest person," he said, referring to his nomination of Cerdán as the party’s organization secretary.

Sánchez said that Cerdán led a "simple life in Madrid and his hometown," which did not raise any suspicions.

"Although I must respect the presumption of innocence, I believe it’s clear I made a mistake," he added.

The Socialist leader acknowledged that the party’s internal control mechanisms "did not function properly" and took "part of the responsibility" as the person who appointed both Ábalos and Cerdán.

Anti-corruption plan

Sánchez announced a national anti-corruption plan featuring 15 new measures, developed in collaboration with the OECD, left-wing coalition partner Sumar, and other organizations.

The headline measure is the creation of an independent public agency tasked with preventing, addressing, and prosecuting corruption.

Sánchez also proposed the establishment of a blacklist for companies involved in corruption, barring them from receiving future public contracts.

Another key proposal involves withdrawing public funding from political parties that retain individuals convicted of corruption in leadership roles.

Sánchez described the plan as "the most significant effort in prevention, enforcement, and redress against corruption in recent decades."

Opposition demands elections

Leader of the opposition and head of the conservative People's Party (PP), Alberto Núñez Feijóo, called on PM Pedro Sánchez to "confess everything he knows, help recover the stolen money, and call snap elections."

“How can you lead us out of this nightmare, when you are the one who dragged us into it?” Feijóo asked during Wednesday’s parliamentary debate.

Feijóo criticized Sánchez’s coalition partners for continuing to support what he described as a "fraudulent" and "politically finished" leader, heading a party he claimed operates like a "criminal organization."

“We don’t yet know where your responsibility begins or ends, but we will find out,” he warned.

In response, Sánchez rejected receiving “lectures” on ethics from the PP, pointing to the party’s own history of corruption scandals under former prime ministers José María Aznar and Mariano Rajoy.

“I was expected to know what Cerdán was doing,” Sánchez said. “But Rajoy didn’t know the envelopes he received were illegal, and Feijóo didn’t realize that the man he spent summers with was Galicia’s most notorious drug trafficker.”

Pro-independence parties criticize Sánchez

Pro-independence party Esquerra criticized Sánchez and urged him to deliver substantial reforms to regain momentum in the legislature.

Gabriel Rufián, spokesperson for Esquerra, called on Sánchez to introduce a package of "radical measures" to reenergize the government’s agenda.

"If you want people to appreciate the fact that the minimum wage has increased by 60%, or that over 21 million people are employed, then present a truly radical program of measures," said Rufián.

He emphasized housing as the government's top priority, demanding "housing and more housing" to address the ongoing crisis.

Rufián also urged Sánchez to restore credibility among voters who, he said, supported the Socialists “out of fear of the far right.”

“There will come a time when maybe you won't be able to stop the far right anymore," he warned.

Meanwhile, Junts spokesperson Míriam Nogueras said her party had “expected something else” from Sánchez’s speech. She accused the PM of "missing a key opportunity."

Nogueras criticized Sánchez for relying on anti-right-wing rhetoric to hold the coalition together while, in her words, "striking deals with conservatives in other institutions."

She made it clear that Junts would not support legislation that "serves only to cover up all the dirt and misery of Spanish institutions."