At 9:30 pm local time, the leadership of the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE) unexpectedly convened an emergency video conference. The meeting brought together party officials responsible for equality issues in Spain’s autonomous communities, as well as female party representatives in the national parliament and regional legislatures. The urgent call was prompted by a wave of unrest within the party after news broke about how the leadership responded to allegations of harassment made against Francisco Salazar.
Salazar, who previously served as Secretary for Analysis and Electoral Strategy and was a former senior official in the prime minister’s administration, resigned on the eve of the July federal committee meeting. The plan had been to officially confirm his leadership role in the party, which would have increased his influence within the organization. However, after media reports surfaced of inappropriate behavior by other top party officials toward women, the situation around Salazar took a new turn.
Notably, investigations conducted by the Central Operative Unit of the Civil Guard (Unidad Central Operativa, UCO) uncovered evidence of degrading treatment of women by José Luis Ábalos and Koldo García. Following these revelations, the responsibilities for party organization were handed over to Rebeca Torró, who assumed a key role in the party’s structure after the scandal erupted.
Internal disagreements
The Salazar scandal has become a new test for the PSOE, especially with the Extremadura election campaign approaching. Discontent has grown within the party over how the leadership responded to allegations against one of Pedro Sánchez’s closest allies from his leadership battle days. In recent months, this has been compounded by other high-profile corruption cases involving former organizational secretaries — José Luis Ábalos and Santos Cerdán.
From 2017 to 2025, it was Ábalos and Cerdán who managed the party’s daily operations until the UCO investigation led to Cerdán’s resignation. All of this has created an atmosphere of instability and internal tension that the leadership is now trying to ease.
Leadership response
At a time when the prime minister is working to rebuild ties with Junts, the latest turn in the scandal caught even seasoned party insiders by surprise. According to a regional leader, the party was most “irritated” by the way the leadership handled the allegations against Salazar. Even though the complaints were filed six months ago, the leadership delayed taking action, forcing an emergency meeting.
The meeting will be chaired by Pilar Bernabé, the federal secretary for equality and delegate of the government in the Valencian Community. The meeting is expected to address further steps to resolve the situation and restore trust within the party.
Elections on the horizon
The situation is complicated by the fact that there is very little time left before the elections in Extremadura. Any delay or lack of decisiveness could negatively impact the voting results. Internal disagreements and recent months’ scandals have already become a topic of discussion not only among PSOE members, but also in the wider public.
It remains unclear whether the emergency meeting will lead to real changes in the party’s approach to such crises. However, it is evident that the leadership fully recognizes the seriousness of the situation and is trying to prevent further escalation of the conflict.
RUSSPAIN.COM reports that Francisco Salazar was long regarded as one of PSOE’s key strategists and a close ally of Pedro Sánchez. His party career began in campaign headquarters before he held a series of senior positions in the central apparatus. Following the scandal and his resignation, his name became associated with internal crises and ethical issues within the party. In recent years, PSOE has faced a number of challenges related to governance and reputation, especially noticeable ahead of crucial elections.
