A new political scandal has erupted in Spain: the federal leadership of the Socialist Party (PSOE) has suspended the membership of Antonio Navarro, head of the party’s branch in Torremolinos. The reason was a complaint from one of the party activists, who accused him of sexual harassment. Following this, the Málaga prosecutor’s office initiated a preliminary investigation, and Navarro was notified of the start of disciplinary proceedings.
The woman who filed the complaint had previously brought the issue to the party’s internal channel, established after the last congress in Sevilla. However, she claims that the anti-harassment committee took no action and did not notify the leadership. Only after the case was made public did the prosecutor’s office get involved, and the party’s leadership decided to temporarily relieve Navarro of all his duties.
Party response
According to the decision of the federal PSOE committee, Antonio Navarro is given ten days to file an appeal with the Ethics and Guarantees Commission. This is standard procedure for cases involving potential internal violations within the party. At the same time, the organization’s secretariat in Málaga insisted that Navarro relinquish his mandates as a councilor in both the municipal and provincial administrations.
Interestingly, the local leadership of the socialists in Málaga was aware of the situation despite not receiving any official notifications from the anti-corruption committee. The reasons why the complaint was referred to the prosecutor only after an internal appeal remain unclear. As a result, once the investigation began, pressure on Navarro increased and he was asked to step down from all his positions.
Letter of support
Amid the growing scandal, eight women from the leadership of the PSOE branch in Torremolinos issued an open letter in defense of Antonio Navarro. In their statement, they emphasized that they had never witnessed any instances of sexism, harassment, or inappropriate behavior from Navarro. According to them, the relationship between him and the complainant was always respectful and remained within the bounds of friendship.
The authors of the letter also reminded of the necessity to uphold the presumption of innocence and called for uniform standards in handling similar cases. They drew parallels to other high-profile incidents involving party members and expressed dissatisfaction with how quickly the decision to remove Navarro was made, without giving him the opportunity to defend his position.
Intraparty disagreements
The situation in Torremolinos has exposed internal divisions within the PSOE. On one hand, the party seeks to demonstrate zero tolerance for harassment cases and to respond swiftly to such allegations. On the other, some activists believe that decisions are made hastily and without sufficient investigation. This tension is especially palpable against the backdrop of other recent scandals involving high-ranking party members.
In their letter, the women leaders also noted that they had witnessed interactions between Navarro and the complainant, and observed no signs of pressure or aggression. They claim that their relationship appeared to be strictly friendly, and they urge against drawing premature conclusions before the investigation is complete.
Next steps
Now, the fate of Antonio Navarro depends on the findings of the prosecutor’s review and the party’s internal investigation. In the coming weeks, he will have to present his case before the ethics committee. For now, he remains suspended from all party affairs and duties, with his political future hanging in the balance.
In case you were unaware, Antonio Navarro is a prominent politician in Andalusia, heading the local PSOE branch in Torremolinos. The Socialist Party (PSOE) is one of Spain’s largest political forces, traditionally championing social justice and citizens’ rights. Internal scandals and disciplinary actions have repeatedly drawn public attention in recent years, especially amid the ongoing fight against discrimination and harassment.
