Ceuta crisis deepens Spain's PSOE woes: internal criticism and defeat predictions

The Ceuta crisis rekindles the PSOE's internal war

Ceuta has not been forgotten. The June 30 incident continues to reverberate, and the conservative media have turned it into a weapon to wear down Spain's government. An article by Jesús Cuadrado in Vozpópuli, published on August 31, argues that the crisis "unmasks and sinks the PSOE" (Spain's Socialist Party) and takes aim at Defence Minister Margarita Robles and former minister Josep Borrell over their handling of Segarro's hybrid attack. The thesis: in Sánchez's party, dissent is not tolerated.

Robles's supposed exception does not convince

During her appearances in parliament, the Defence Minister was singled out for a self-criticism that would set her apart from her colleagues. The Vozpópuli article, however, puts her in the same boat: she failed National Security before and during the attack. And it adds a stinging detail: her role in the dismissal of Paz Esteban, head of the CNI (Spain's intelligence agency), a decision some attribute to pressure from the secessionist camp after the October 1st referendum. Selective memory has a limit: Ceuta exposes it.

The migration factor and electoral prophecies

The debate does not only look back: it also looks ahead. Some predict that Alberto Núñez Feijóo will come to power, while others point out that Sánchez has an electoral cushion in the votes of migrant communities and welfare recipients. Meanwhile, the most extreme theories speak of a plan for Segarro to send 100,000 people so the government can declare a state of siege and suspend the July 2027 elections. The precedent of the Perejil Island incident is invoked to question the real will to defend the border. Nobody seems willing to concede the battle in advance.

The question remains open: is Ceuta the beginning of the end for the PSOE, or just another episode that will fade with the next crisis? In politics, the ground shifts quickly. But the focus on border management, security and Segarro's role has already become part of the campaign script.