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Shkruar nga Pamfleti
From his wife to his brother, from political mentors to trusted ministers, the Spanish prime minister is facing the most serious crisis of his term...
For years, Pedro Sánchez has been presented as one of the most important figures of the European left. A political ally of Edi Rama, present at numerous summits and meetings with the Albanian prime minister, Sánchez emerged as the model of a progressive leader who survived in a Europe where the right was gaining ground.
But today, the Spanish prime minister is facing the most difficult moment of his political career.
Within a few months, a series of investigations, raids, arrests and convictions have hit those closest to him, creating the impression that the circle around the socialist leader is increasingly narrowing.
The latest blow came this week, when Spain's Supreme Court sentenced former Transport Minister José Luis Ábalos to 24 years in prison. He was found guilty of participating in a criminal organization, bribery, embezzlement of public funds and influence peddling in a scheme related to public contracts during the Covid-19 pandemic.
In the same case, his former close associate Koldo Garcia was sentenced to 19 years in prison, while businessman Víctor de Aldama received a four-and-a-half-year sentence, suspended due to cooperation with justice.
But this is only part of the problem.
Sánchez's wife, Begoña Gómez, has also been at the center of the investigation for months. A court in Madrid has seized her passport, banned her from leaving Spain and forced her to appear in court periodically, while an investigation into corruption charges continues.
The pressure doesn't stop here.
Spanish authorities have also investigated the prime minister's brother, while senior figures from the Socialist Party have been implicated in various files.
The political crisis reached its peak when Spanish police raided the headquarters of the Socialist Party in Madrid. The investigations are related to suspicions of illegal financing, influence peddling and corruption.
Another name that has shaken Spanish politics is that of former socialist prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, Sánchez's political mentor and one of the most influential figures on the Spanish left.
Zapatero was involved in an investigation related to the €53 million bailout of the airline Plus Ultra during the pandemic. Authorities have conducted searches at premises linked to him and seized documents, luxury watches, jewelry and valuables.
At the same time, businessman Víctor de Aldama, now a collaborator of justice, has made statements that shocked political Madrid, claiming that Sánchez was aware of a scheme to manipulate public contracts and channel funds to party structures.
So far, no investigative body has named Pedro Sánchez as a suspect, and the Spanish prime minister himself has categorically denied all the allegations. He insists that this is a political campaign orchestrated by his opponents.
However, the fact that his trusted minister has been convicted, his wife is under investigation, his political mentor has faced charges, and the party headquarters has been raided by police has created an unprecedented climate of pressure on the socialist government.
For Edi Rama, the developments in Madrid also have a political dimension. Sánchez has been one of the Albanian prime minister's closest European allies. The two leaders have often shared the same political stage at international summits and have cultivated a close political rapport.
But while Sánchez faces the scandals that have engulfed his inner circle, Rama himself is in a turbulent political moment in Tirana, where protests against his government have entered weeks of mobilization.
At the same time, another regional ally of Rama, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, is facing strong protests and a tense political climate in Serbia.
A few months ago, Viktor Orbán, another figure with whom Rama has maintained good political relations, also left the government.
So, if until yesterday Sánchez was seen as one of the strongest politicians of the European left, today he is fighting for political survival. And as the investigations continue to get closer and closer to the center of power in Madrid, the question that arises is whether the Spanish prime minister will be able to survive this storm, or will he become the next European leader to fall under the weight of the scandals that have hit those closest to him. / Pamphlet
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