Sánchez apologises for trusting Cerdán but rules out elections until 2027

Pedro Sánchez has neither resigned nor called for elections, nor has he sought a vote of confidence to formally and democratically test the position of his coalition partners after it became clear that the PSOE's Organisation Secretary, Santos Cerdán, repeatedly lied by claiming for over a year that he had nothing to do with the corruption scandal known as the 'Koldo case'. Today, Sánchez merely demanded the resignation of the man who became his right-hand in the party following the dismissal of José Luis Ábalos, who is now implicated in the case, and offered an apology.

After more than forty days of silence - amid a perfect storm that included the publication of several WhatsApp messages exchanged over the years with his former Transport Minister, and the scandal involving Leire Díez, the socialist activist who tried to gather dirt on the UCO, judges, and prosecutors related to cases affecting the PSOE - the Prime Minister appeared this afternoon at the party's headquarters on Ferraz Street in Madrid, looking disheartened as he proclaimed his 'enormous indignation and deep sadness'.

The Prime Minister's intention is to navigate this tremendous crisis, which has plunged the entire party into a deep 'shock', with just two internal measures: a reshuffle of the executive at the first Federal Committee meeting since the December Congress, scheduled for July 5 in Seville, and an internal audit to try to dispel doubts about possible illegal financing.