Puente throws his hat in the ring to succeed Sánchez; PSOE braces itself
Spanish Transport Minister Óscar Puente has hinted he wants to succeed Pedro Sánchez in four or five years. The PSOE is gearing up for an internal power struggle.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Óscar Puente wants to succeed Sánchez but sets a date: 4 or 5 years from now
The succession in Spain's PSOE is no longer taboo. Transport Minister Óscar Puente has left the door open to replacing Pedro Sánchez at the helm of the party, provided the timing is right: he reckons the moment will come in four or five years, after the next term in office. The statement, reported by RTVE, has not yet lit any official fuse, but it makes Puente the first party leader to mention the succession out loud.
Puente's move and the internal reactions
The minister's words have not fallen on deaf ears. Comparisons are already being drawn with the Wars of the Roses, that dynastic struggle between Tudor and Lancaster in which both sides spent decades slashing at each other, and some are speculating about a night of the long knives at Ferraz, the PSOE headquarters. That people are already talking about being "stabbed in the back" shows just how deep the mistrust runs within the party apparatus.
The Page alternative
It is not all warmongering. One internal faction, the one calling for a more centrist profile, still sees Emiliano García-Page as the right man to take the reins. Against the abrasive tone attributed to Puente, Page stands for moderation. The question hanging in the air: if Sánchez goes, who wins the first round of the primary elections? For now, nobody is in a hurry to answer it. The only thing that is clear is that merely hinting at the succession is already the first move of the game.
The succession in Spain's PSOE is no longer taboo. Transport Minister Óscar Puente has left the door open to replacing Pedro Sánchez at the helm of the party, provided the timing is right: he reckons the moment will come in four or five years, after the next term in office. The statement, reported by RTVE, has not yet lit any official fuse, but it makes Puente the first party leader to mention the succession out loud.
Puente's move and the internal reactions
The minister's words have not fallen on deaf ears. Comparisons are already being drawn with the Wars of the Roses, that dynastic struggle between Tudor and Lancaster in which both sides spent decades slashing at each other, and some are speculating about a night of the long knives at Ferraz, the PSOE headquarters. That people are already talking about being "stabbed in the back" shows just how deep the mistrust runs within the party apparatus.
The Page alternative
It is not all warmongering. One internal faction, the one calling for a more centrist profile, still sees Emiliano García-Page as the right man to take the reins. Against the abrasive tone attributed to Puente, Page stands for moderation. The question hanging in the air: if Sánchez goes, who wins the first round of the primary elections? For now, nobody is in a hurry to answer it. The only thing that is clear is that merely hinting at the succession is already the first move of the game.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (20 replies).
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