The American political journal Politico has delivered a loud wake-up call to Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez for the unconditional support he is giving to former king Juan Carlos I in his controversial flight to exile. The newspaper states bluntly: "Pedro Sánchez aims to build a protective firewall around Spain’s monarchy, even though he and his party risk being scorched."
According to Politico, Sánchez has sent three ministers to Mallorca this week, "in an unusual gesture", to accompany current king Felipe VI in his official appearances at his summer residence on the island. The PM himself went there too on Wednesday for an audience with the king. "Some members of his social democrat PSOE party have expressed discomfort. They complain that although the party leadership often cites the party’s “republican values,” it has never found the right time to actually fight for them," says the journal, noting how critics of the current leader have republished an old 2014 tweet by Sánchez - before he became prime minister- in which he celebrated the anniversary of Spain's Second Republic. It's one more element that highlights the party's ambiguous position.
In Politico's view, the protection that Sánchez is currently giving to the corruption-mired Juan Carlos I could distance young voters and the more republican sectors of the party from the Socialists. A dissatisfaction which the US journal believes could be capitalized on by the more obviously left-wing Podemos.
Headline in the Politico article
The newspaper attributes the Spanish PM's strong monarchical vein to the good relationship he established with Felipe VI around the time of Catalonia's independence referendum in 2017. "In “Manual de resistencia,” Sánchez’s autobiography, the prime minister revealed the content of some of his private conversations with Felipe and how they “connected in a special way, trusted each other and established a very frank relationship” during the failed bid for independence in Catalonia in the fall of 2017."
Sanchez acknowledged the risk of his pro-monarchy position in a letter he sent to his party's membership last week, in which he stood up for his arguments, such as "not gifting the conservatives" an exclusive position in Spain's constitutional inheritance". But Politico is far from convinced: the current pro-monarchy line "could be the worst mistake the PSOE could make", says the US publication.