The Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE) is experiencing one of its most sensitive internal crises concerning the handling of the so-called “Salazar case.” This scandal involves allegations of sexual harassment and abuse of power linked to former Moncloa adviser Paco Salazar and his associate, Antonio Hernández. Both individuals, until recently, were integral members of the Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s inner circle, who is presently encircled by multiple corruption cases.
Who is Paco Salazar and what accusations is he facing
Francisco José “Paco” Salazar, a long-standing PSOE member from Seville, was mayor of Montellano and later a member of the Spanish Congress, as well as holding strategic posts alongside Pedro Sánchez in the party headquarters in Ferraz and at the Moncloa Palace.
In recent months, numerous female Socialist members and staff who were employed under his supervision have internally reported behaviors they characterize as sexual harassment and abuse of power: comments with sexual undertones, relentless invitations to private meetings beyond working hours, and proposals to let them stay at his residence, consistently within a framework of hierarchical dependence.
As a result of these complaints, Salazar was removed from his responsibilities in the party and ceased to be part of the federal executive, as well as losing his position of influence in Moncloa. The events are being investigated under the PSOE’s internal anti-harassment protocols and could lead to legal action if the complainants decide to proceed, but for the time being, there is silence.
The position held by Antonio Hernández, the ousted confidant
Antonio Hernández, until now director of the Political Coordination Department in Moncloa and a key figure in the Government’s political machinery, was considered Salazar’s right-hand man and his main support in day-to-day matters.
The women who accused Salazar additionally identified Hernández as a supposed “accomplice” and “cover-up” of the misconduct, asserting that he was informed of the situation and did not take action to safeguard the victims, a statement he refutes.
In the midst of the scandal, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez chose to advocate for his removal from both Moncloa and the organizational framework of the Andalusian PSOE, a decision that has been formalized by the Council of Ministers in recent days and has been seen as an effort to cauterize the crisis and eliminate any semblance of complicity with the behavior attributed to Salazar.
Criticism of the PSOE’s internal handling and delayed response
Various press reports indicate that the PSOE took more than four months to formally contact the victims after the first complaints became known, which has generated strong internal backlash and severely damaged the party’s image. The functioning of the anti-harassment committee itself has been questioned for its slowness, lack of coordination and poor communication with the federal leadership, in a party that prides itself on its feminist orientation.
At the same time, critical voices from within socialism are calling for a far-reaching reform of internal protocols and organizational culture, to prevent what they describe as “protective environments for alleged aggressors” and situations of abandonment for women who come forward.
The position of Pedro Sánchez’s Government
The Government’s spokesperson and Minister of Education, Pilar Alegría, has emphasized that the Executive responded with «speed and determination» once it was formally aware of the accusations, underscoring Salazar’s dismissal, his removal from the PSOE executive, and now, the termination of Antonio Hernández.
Alegría has openly admitted that her recent lunch with Salazar—held when the complaints were already known—was a “mistake”, emphasizing that the debate should center on the victims rather than the political repercussions for the party.
Simultaneously, various reports suggest a potential legal challenge for the PSOE as an entity, hinging on the chance that the courts might evaluate if there was organizational accountability in managing the complaints. Some media outlets cite prosecutorial sources indicating the possibility of the party being scrutinized for an alleged organizational crime of sexual harassment, a situation that, at this stage, is merely a legal hypothesis under review and does not entail any formal charges.
Response from the opposition and political repercussions
The People’s Party (PP) has declared that it will leverage its Senate majority to summon Paco Salazar to testify before the committee regarding the so-called “Koldo case”, capitalizing on the public attention the former adviser has gained. From the PP, Sánchez is accused of being the president “most detrimental to women”, associating the Salazar case with other contentious incidents in the realm of equality and victim protection.
The opposition as a whole has focused on the chain of appointments, dismissals and reassignments around Salazar, as well as on the fact that two of his closest female collaborators are said to have been moved to public companies in recent years, which reinforces the narrative of a network of trust around the former adviser within the state apparatus.
A case that challenges the party’s protocols and credibility
The Salazar case, now also involving Antonio Hernández, has opened a deep political and moral breach in Pedro Sánchez’s PSOE, in a context marked by a social demand for zero tolerance towards sexual harassment and abuses of power in the workplace and in politics.
While internal proceedings and possible judicial actions are still underway, the party faces a twofold test: on the one hand, to prove that its anti-harassment protocols work effectively and put victims first; on the other, to rebuild the trust of its own electorate and of public opinion, which is watching with concern the succession of leaks, corrections and dismissals surrounding the case.
In any event, both Paco Salazar and Antonio Hernández still retain, as of today, their right to the presumption of innocence before the courts, pending full clarification of the facts and the possible opening of criminal proceedings. The next steps taken by the PSOE and Pedro Sánchez’s Government will be decisive in determining the political, institutional and judicial scope of this scandal. But for the moment, despite the legal duty to do so, there has been no indication that the PSOE itself is filing any complaint with the authorities, as has already been the case with other corruption scandals surrounding the party.