Sánchez vows to run in 2027 general elections

The Hague, June 25 (EFE).- Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Wednesday expressed his firm intention to run as the Socialist Party's candidate for president in the 2027 general elections, which he does not plan to call early.

"I am determined to run in the general elections in 2027," the Socialist leader said at a press conference following the NATO summit in The Hague, where he also addressed several questions on domestic politics. Sánchez emphasized that his administration is a "clean government," responding to questions about an alleged bribery scheme involving irregular public works contracts. The case reportedly implicates former Organization Secretaries of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) Santos Cerdán and José Luis Ábalos, who also served as Transport Minister, as well as Koldo García, a former aide to Ábalos. Sánchez defended his seven-year record in government, highlighting the "extraordinarily adverse" conditions under which he has governed, including the pandemic-induced socio-economic crisis and the challenges of leading with a parliamentary minority that has required constant negotiation.

He also expressed shame over corruption cases such as those uncovered by a recent report from the Civil Guard's judicial police. Nevertheless, he underscored that the PSOE has been "relentless" in tackling such issues. He contrasted the PSOE's cooperation with judicial authorities with the alleged obstruction by the conservative Partido Popular. As an example, he pointed out that Civil Guard agents were recently able to access the PSOE's central offices without issue to retrieve digital data from former leader Santos Cerdán. "We have been relentless. We have responded," Sánchez said. "And hopefully, other political parties, in cases involving verdicts or even stronger evidence than what we're seeing, would do the same." EFE adr-sk