Sánchez will stay on as prime minister of Spain. He paid a visit to King Felipe VI at the Palacio de la Zarzuela on Monday morning. Then, at 11.00 am, he appeared to announce his decision to resign or stay on as head of government. “I had to think for a few days,” Sánchez began his speech.
The president of the Spanish government, Pedro Sánchez, made an institutional statement on Monday at the palace of Moncloa to announce that he will remain as head of government. He read out a statement without the media present and there were no questions at the end. It was a performance similar to that of May 29, when he announced the early elections. On Wednesday, he announced in a personal letter to the public that he was taking a five-day period of reflection to decide whether to resign, as he considered himself the victim of a personal attack by the political, judiciary, media and ultra-right.
In recent days, he has also had no interaction on social media. During his days of reflection, Spanish politics and the media exploded. There were criticisms, there were doubts and opinions. But also support. Sánchez thanked for the solidarity of socialist leaders and Spaniards who asked him not to back down.
“This campaign to discredit me will not stop”
From the moment Sánchez announced his political and institutional hiatus, the members of his team have taken it upon themselves to reiterate that it is solely a personal and family decision. That it is not a tactical pirouette of the kind that the still socialist leader likes to try to mobilise the left, win votes in the Catalan elections on May 12 and give his party a boost in the face of the poor prospects of the European elections on June 9.
“The final decision will be made with his wife and daughters,” several members explained to his team. “My wife and I know that this campaign to discredit me will not stop, but we can deal with it,” Sánchez said in his speech.
The president of the PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, will also appear on Monday after taking note of Sánchez’s decision.