The Minister of Culture, Ernest Urtasun, has called on the PSOE for its headquarters on Ferraz street "not to continue being a burden for the progressive majority" in Spain, after agents of the Central Operational Unit (UCO) of the Civil Guard accessed the federal headquarters of the party within the framework of the National High Court's investigation into the so-called 'Leire Díez case'.
Urtasun made this statement during his speech at the joint event organized this Saturday in Barcelona by Comuns, IU, Movimiento Sumar, and Más Madrid, under the slogan 'Un paso al frente' (A step forward), which also included interventions by the Minister of Health, Mónica García; the Minister of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and 2030 Agenda, Pablo Bustinduy; the federal coordinator of IU, Antonio Maíllo; the general coordinator of Sumar, Lara Hernández, and the co-spokesperson for Comuns and Sumar deputy, Gerardo Pisarello.
The minister stressed that the information that has come to light is of great seriousness and demands a firm reaction: "We must face it, we must make brave decisions," he argued, warning that the idea that zero corruption does not exist—which, he said, he has heard from socialist leaders—causes enormous damage to institutions and politics.
He admitted that the legislature is going through a delicate moment, after a week also marked by the indictment of former Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero for his alleged involvement in the 'Plus Ultra case', and he asserted that his political space is "clean, and takes care of the country's emergencies."
Urtasun pointed out that many may perceive that there is a "political operation to bring down the Government," but he stressed to the PSOE that this cannot be used as a pretext in the face of the information that is coming to light.
At the same time, he directed his criticism at the PP and Vox, stating that they will not accept "any lessons" from these parties, recalling that both voted against the creation of an anti-corruption office and maintaining that corruption has been a modus operandi of the PP.
Pablo Bustinduy calls for resistance and exemplary conduct
For his part, Pablo Bustinduy appealed to the left to resist what he considers an attempt at demoralization and lashed out at corruption: "Damn the corrupt for betraying the popular will, wherever they are from, whatever their name."
"The mandate of democracy and the popular will cannot be betrayed to serve one's own interests instead of the interests of the working people," the minister added.
Addressing the PSOE, he admitted that there is an operation to bring down the Government, "but this is no excuse for certain behaviors," and demanded exemplary conduct and transparency to overcome the situation.
He stressed that the forces in this political space have been persecuted, but argued that they have not been tarnished by scandals: "Persecuted, slandered, and not a single case of corruption from the smallest town hall to the State Government," he remarked.
Mónica García: not all political forces are the same
The Minister of Health, Mónica García, also addressed the alleged corruption cases affecting the PSOE and insisted that not all parties are comparable: "We know that the 'do whatever you can' operation has stepped on the accelerator, but this is no excuse, it is no excuse not to ask for explanations and to look the other way with behaviors that are absolutely inadmissible for the left," she stated.
She assured that they will not choose between one thing or another and that they will confront both "attempts at "lawfare"" and the corrupt.
"We are spotless, no, we are not the same, we have not come into politics to do business, we have not come into politics to get favors," she defended, emphasizing that they will not accept lessons from right-wing parties and alluding to cases like Kitchen and Gürtel that have affected the PP.
Antonio Maíllo calls for reforms and for the PSOE to "clean its house"
The federal coordinator of IU, Antonio Maíllo, maintained that there is a demolition operation against the Executive and that the response must be legislative: "Are we going to roll up our sleeves, Socialist Party? Yes or no? We say yes. The ball is in the court of whoever has to decide whether structural reforms are made or not," he launched.
In relation to the investigations into Zapatero, Maíllo pointed out that Sánchez "will have to explain why a former president who can live very well on the compensation provided by the State, dedicates himself to I don't know what about digital printing presses that bill thousands of euros," arguing that this is the only way to move forward.
He also stressed that "the Socialist Party has to clean its house, it has to take decisive measures and it has to explain to society what has happened."
Lara Hernández asks to take care of the coalition and democracy
The general coordinator of Sumar, Lara Hernández, has urged the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, to provide explanations and has also called for "taking care of this progressive coalition government, taking care above all of democracy" and taking care of Spain.
She has defended that zero corruption is possible, but to achieve it "you have to have a very clean, very tidy house, and you have to know why you came to do politics."
In addition, she has claimed the rights of citizens and has assured that "neither the progressive people nor this democracy deserve it."
Gerardo Pisarello and criticism of 'lawfare'
The Sumar deputy and co-spokesperson for the Comuns, Gerardo Pisarello, has also referred to the current context and the accusations of 'lawfare', asking "where was the Socialist Party when Barcelona en Comú was being flooded with lawsuits."
In this regard, he has specified that they do not raise these issues out of "revanchism," but because, in his opinion, many explanations are still pending.