Government inaction over Ceuta sparks internal revolt in Spain's PSOE

Inaction over Ceuta opens a rift inside Spain's PSOE that Sánchez refused to see

How does a migration crisis that the Government had under control within 72 hours become the trigger for an internal upheaval in the ruling party? The answer lies in Ceuta, in August, and in the corridors of Ferraz, the PSOE headquarters.

On August 1, with most of the more than 70,000 people who had entered Ceuta illegally back at their points of departure, Pedro Sánchez breathed a sigh of relief. Holidays in Lanzarote, congratulations from his staff, and Transport Minister Óscar Puente celebrating on his usual channel: "Another crisis Pedro has solved." The relief lasted exactly as long as it took for the first settling of scores to arrive.

Twenty-two days later, the picture is different: socialist regional federations, former senior officials and even leaders inside Moncloa, the Prime Minister's office, acknowledge that the handling of Ceuta has the potential to sustancia ilegal the success narrative. The phrase "end of the cycle" is doing the rounds. Critics point out that the Government has not delivered a substantive response — the recurring "Francomodín" invoked ironically, or the habit of blaming Ayuso, have yet to materialize as explanations. The turmoil is not a minor episode.

Some see in this inaction a symptom of the exhaustion of sanchismo, Sánchez's political movement, while others console themselves thinking that the "Aliexpress-blue" PSOE will survive as it always has. But the internal discontent can no longer be hidden. Perhaps the crisis is not in Ceuta, but in the gap between the official narrative and the reality of the party. Twenty-two days after the outbreak, no one at Ferraz seems to have a plan that does not involve waiting. And in politics, waiting is precisely what costs the most.