The situation is quite atypical. The Spanish political agenda has been completely disrupted by the case involving President José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero. In public and in private, nothing else is being discussed. Millions of citizens follow every detail of the investigation. In the progressive world, there is evident pessimism, while in the conservative world it is seen as the final milestone of a cycle change. Yet, neither the main protagonist, the former president himself, who remains publicly silent by his lawyer’s decision, nor the Government, the main affected party, provide hardly any explanations about the details shaping the agenda, especially the latest and most bizarre one, concerning the jewels found in a safe in Zapatero’s office that have sparked dozens of memes, mockery, jokes, and comments. While Zapatero’s circle claims these jewels are the result of inheritances and gifts from trips abroad, estimating their value between 30,000 and 50,000 euros, the official Government response is “we will not comment on details of a judicial investigation.”
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The situation is very delicate for the Executive: it cannot act as Zapatero’s spokesperson because it does not know his steps precisely and, although he is a very close and influential person, he is not under the president’s orders, but everything affecting the former president’s case directly harms the Government, the PSOE, and the left in general. The Executive does not command Zapatero, not even Pedro Sánchez, but what the ex-president does is key for whether the Government can get out of the hole it is in, perhaps the deepest political one of the entire legislature, and there have been several very deep ones.
That is why when it became known, just as the Council of Ministers’ press conference was ending, that the judge accepted the postponement requested by Zapatero and the hearing will be held on June 17 and 18 — in the middle of the European summit in Brussels in which Sánchez will participate — an evident unease immediately arose among many ministers, who hoped that on the 2nd things could start to change a bit.
Two more weeks of media ordeal, which cancels the Executive’s agenda and puts all the focus on the judicial investigation, prolongs the wear and tear, gives more ammunition to the opposition, and increases the nervousness of the partners, who in the case of the PNV insist on calling elections in 2026 and in the case of Sumar openly demand that Zapatero give public explanations as soon as possible.
From La Moncloa they convey that it is a decision by Zapatero’s lawyer to better prepare the defense and nothing can be done about that. Clearly, Sánchez has not tried to force the former president to speak or shorten the times. The Government has officially decided to maintain support for Zapatero, especially his right to the presumption of innocence, but ministers look uncomfortable having to talk about a matter they only know from the media.
Reactions are increasingly cautious within the general line of support. The Minister of Justice, Félix Bolaños, conveyed that official line of prudence in the Senate, although without enthusiastic backing for the ex-president, whom he did not name. “The investigation has only just begun, let justice do its work, do not condemn a person who has not yet testified,” he said in response to attacks from the PP.
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The Government spokesperson, Elma Saiz, also very prudently maintained support. “This Government trusts that the presumption of innocence of President Zapatero can be respected,” she said, also defending the ex-president’s “undeniable legacy”: “On the basis of that country Zapatero left, we continue building as a Government a more modern, more inclusive Spain,” she concluded. Beside her, Óscar López, who was a close collaborator of the ex-president, stated: “I continue to fully trust in Zapatero’s innocence.”
In public, everyone shows that respect and almost no one from the PSOE has made any direct criticism of Zapatero. Only Emiliano García-Page has said that many socialists are “deeply disappointed” after reading the ruling on Zapatero, and demands that Sánchez submit to a vote of confidence or call elections, something the president completely rules out.
In fact, Bolaños insisted in the Senate that there is a year and two months left in the legislature and that they will complete it. But privately, a clear unease is detected in the Government over this decision to delay the hearing by two weeks. The Executive trusts that after appearing before the judge, and since it seems ruled out that he will be imprisoned, Zapatero will be able to hold the press conference he had planned and a round of interviews with various media to counter the impact of the ruling and police reports that point to him as the leader of a criminal organization involved in influence peddling. But that moment is being delayed and some are beginning to doubt it will happen because the lawyer might again recommend silence. Still, other ministers also point out that what matters is that he makes that statement very well, and if he needs more time for that, it is better than risking a fiasco.
Beyond the PSOE, where concern is widespread — García-Page even said this “is the moment of greatest risk for the PSOE in all of democracy” — although the confidence Sánchez showed in Zapatero’s innocence in Congress on Wednesday remains, the seriousness of the situation is also seen among the partners. The Minister of Culture and spokesperson for Sumar, Ernest Urtasun, was very direct: “Zapatero owes an explanation to Spanish society and the sooner he gives it the better.” Urtasun insisted that the accusations “are serious” and therefore the ex-president must speak to the citizens now. They have also been very upset by the delay in the hearing, which means postponing the explanations. The PNV also maintained the pressure, and its spokesperson insists that the legislature is exhausted and there must be elections in 2026, but the Government rules it out and challenges anyone who wants to change the Executive to join a motion of no confidence with the PP and Vox. “Anyone who says this is over can arrange a motion of no confidence with Vox,” concluded Patxi López, the socialist spokesperson. Tension grows, the crisis drags on, but the political situation seems stalled and Sánchez, who is in Rome to see the pope and will hold a press conference this Wednesday, does not seem to have any intention of changing his plans to complete the legislature.
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