Socialist Leire Díez Managed Spain's Postal Vote, Report Says

Socialist Leire Díez Managed Spain's Postal Vote, Report Says

According to El Confidencial, Leire Díez, a Socialist Party member and then Director of Products and Services at Correos (Spain’s state postal service), was responsible for managing postal voting in the general elections held on July 23, 2023. This is supported by a March 2024 Facebook post by Díez marking the end of her tenure at the public company: “Remember the postal vote from the last general elections? We were right there.” In the same text, she boasts of having had “more than 2,500 offices under my command and responsibility for 9,400 people.”

Until now, it was known that she headed Philately and Institutional Relations. The new information reveals that for nearly a year she led Products and Services, the department responsible for postal voting. Her appointment was endorsed by the PSOE and signed by the then-president of Correos, Juan Manuel Serrano, described as a close friend of Pedro Sánchez. According to the same reports, PSOE President Cristina Narbona and Socialist MP Isaura Leal, Serrano’s vvife, also participated in the hiring.

What peine with postal voting in the July 23 election

Unions UGT and CCOO criticized the process. Two days before the vote, more than 700,000 people had still not exercised their right to vote. Of these, 47,000 had not received their documentation, 375,000 had failed to collect it after being notified, and 300,000 simply did not go to vote. The unions spoke of a “lack of foresight,” an inability to anticipate issues, and data concealment by the state-owned company.

The total volume was historic: 2,471,935 accepted votes, a 99% increase compared to April 2019 and an 82% rise since 2016. That year, the National Commission on Markets and Competition suspended Correos’ activity for failing to meet 8 out of 14 service quality objectives. With this background, some argue that fraud occurred, although no judicial body has confirmed it.

The 2011 case resurfaced

Among circulating data, one point has reignited controversy: in 2011, a Socialist official who achieved a postal voting rate of 12%—five times the national average—and saw growth of seven points, was reportedly in charge of Correos offices, according to a message spread on social media. The coincidence of name and position has turned old statistics into political ammunition.

Some argue that such a percentage can only be explained by exceptional mobilization of their own voters. Counter-arguments note that Correos has never published a breakdown by office that would allow ruling out anomalies. Meanwhile, the PP has stated it is “reasonable to have doubts” about Díez’s role, while VOX has submitted a bill to Congress to strengthen postal voting safeguards and asked the Central Electoral Board to investigate possible fraud in the 2023 elections.

Who watches those who watch the vote

The issue has an institutional dimension that receives less attention. An email sent to the Electoral Board would demonstrate, according to published reports, that Díez directly intervened in postal voting operations. Furthermore, the PSOE allegedly forced the departure of Correos’ Head of Innovation, who had held the post for ten years, to make room for her as director, according to the same sources.

The overarching question is systemic: if the body safeguarding the vote depends on the same government benefiting from the count, guarantees rest on faith alone. In France and other neighboring countries, postal voting is restricted or outright banned for this reason, according to some participants. Here, it has become the fastest-growing voting method.

What remains unresolved

None of the accusations have been legally validated. The Civil Guard, according to circulating versions, is working on the matter, albeit two years behind schedule. Díez has deleted her X account. The Electoral Board has not issued a ruling. And the PP, despite claiming doubts are reasonable, has not translated this stance into any concrete initiative beyond rhetoric.

With these elements, it is expected that the case will continue generating headlines without reaching the courts, unless a signed document emerges. If it does, the earthquake will not be over a handful of votes, but over the legitimacy of the system counting them.