PSOE is too small for José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero. The former Prime Minister has been the great catalyst of the inaugural day of the Progressive Global Summit, which for the first time brings together all the different families of the democratic left, who have set aside their differences in response to a world conditioned by an extreme right whose highest expression is Donald Trump. The simultaneous high-level meeting between the Governments of Spain and Brazil has contributed to Zapatero taking center stage, which he has used to make a defense as firm as it is passionate of feminism and multilateralism. But above all, he has acted as a tireless motivator while conveying a message of hope, as he did in the 2023 general election campaign, in the face of the latest setbacks of the global far right.
“Remember, this Barcelona summit is going to make history, it is the most important of the century so far for progressives in the world. Never have so many from so many places gathered with such strength and we are about to start a cycle in which we will see the pieces of the unscientific, denialist discourse fall, which does not value peace, which enjoys Tomahawk missiles, drones, aircraft carriers, deaths… Right-wing governments are in free fall, but progressives have the unavoidable commitment to unity, to seek agreements and be generous, which is what we are building here. Ideas unite us and power unites the far right!”, he predicted, sharing his optimism in two discussions that attracted a thousand attendees mixing leaders from the Socialist International (SI) – which Sánchez has chaired since 2022 -, the Progressive Alliance, a split from the SI in the past decade, or the European Socialist Party.
The situation caused by the setbacks of the far right in Hungary, where Viktor Orban lost the elections, or the turbulence in Giorgia Meloni’s relationship with Trump after the US president’s criticism of the Pope and the Italian prime minister’s refusal to participate in the Iran war, have opened cracks in the ultra galaxy that Zapatero has exploited to raise spirits at the conclave. “With the years I have some experience and this effervescence that boils is going to psssshh”, he predicted imitating the sound of a deflating balloon, “this already has in itself all the attributes that it is going to go down. And it will not be minor,” Zapatero insisted, who in his second talk, on the challenges for Europe and Latin America, had a triumphant entrance, amid the audience’s cheers, to the rhythm of It’s the Final Countdown, the most recognizable song by Europe.
The former prime minister also defended the government’s public policies and measures such as the regularization of foreigners in irregular situations. The PP has committed with Vox to reform the immigration law to end the prohibition of discriminating against immigrants. “I am proud of the party that when it governs regularizes immigrants, that gives them rights. I think all of America should talk about this. What does the Government of Argentina – by Javier Milei – think when it sees all the Argentines who are going to be regularized and given rights?”, Zapatero concluded in the panel on Latin America.
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“We are not here to complain. Progressives do not win by complaining about what the right does. We win by convincing with our actions and our values, so let us be firm in our convictions. People turn away from us when they see us hesitant,” the former prime minister emphasized, highlighting that he plans to attend all PSOE campaigns and will have an active role in the Andalusian elections decided on May 17. In March, he reappeared in the Castilla y León campaign after not attending those in Extremadura and Aragón. His return to the front line came after his appearance in the Senate, where he acknowledged receiving 463,000 euros spread over six years for written and oral consulting to the company Análisis Relevante, owned by Julio Martínez, a businessman charged in the Plus Ultra case. The socialist icon denied having committed any irregularity or illegality.
Zapatero dedicated the first panel, which debated how to ensure access to justice for women and girls, to champion feminism as the “most powerful transformative lever the world has” and as one of the main distinguishing features of progressivism against the far right and the traditional right that adopts its postulates. “Those who least appreciate and defend democracy are those who most fight gender equality and feminism,” Zapatero asserted in another salvo at Vox. Its secretary general, Ignacio Garriga, has called at the doors of the Fira de Barcelona, where the Global is held, with the slogan “out with narcos and corrupts,” referring to Sánchez and the presidents of Colombia, Gustavo Petro; Mexico’s Claudia Sheinbaum and Brazil’s Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. “Pedro Sánchez is a prime minister who leads courage, determination, and progressive goals,” Zapatero argued, raising more ovations and warming up the crowd for an event expected to gather more than 5,000 people.
