Spain's PM Ex-Partner Seeks Help After Eviction Halt
Carmen C. Herrero, former partner of Pedro Sánchez, appeals for aid on social media after her eviction was suspended last minute.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
The Ibiza Photo and the SOS from Pedro Sánchez’s Ex
On Tuesday, March 5, 2024, Carmen C. Herrero faced an imminent eviction order. It was suspended in extremis. That same day, she posted a message on Facebook tagging the Spanish Prime Minister: “A victim of violence, vulnerable mother, without resources, will see herself... on the street, with nowhere to live, losing her belongings and no shelter for her son and cat.” This was not her first attempt. In 2021, she had already published her photo with Pedro Sánchez, both in their twenties, smiling in Ibiza, but the plea “Pedro help me...” was drowned out by the massive coverage of that image. Now, she is trying again.
Who Is the Ex-Partner Sending the SOS?
She was not unknown when they crossed paths. At 17, she was crowned Miss Ibiza and Formentera at a ceremony held at the Pachá nightclub, standing 175 cm tall barefoot with a model’s poise. According to her own account, she was working in Madrid when she met Sánchez, and their relationship dates back to the early 2000s. She retains “good words” about him and a handful of printed photographs; there are few public images of the president’s youth, and she possesses several.
Regarding the origin of her current situation, her account is explicit: she states she has been separated from her ex-husband for more than six years, speaks of accusations she considers false, describes an “injustice,” and claims to be defenseless against what she perceives as the other party’s financial power. She provides documentation and a phrase summarizing her thesis: “I believe he cares about helping women who suffer.” Caution dictates emphasizing that this is her version, the one she maintains before the courts and anyone willing to listen.
What Do Judicial Rulings Say About Her Case?
The dates appear in documents she provides herself. On December 19, 2017, the Court of Violence Against Women No. 1 in Palma de Mallorca issued a protection order in her favor, including a restraining order and granting custody to the mother. Incivil Court No. 3 also found it proven that the previous day, during an argument in front of their common child, he called her “rat,” “you’re the worst,” “unfortunate,” and “disgusting.”
From there, the file becomes tangled. On October 15, 2020, a complaint alleged that the minor had access to prono material during visits. This issue is cited in the divorce ruling of May 17, 2021, which transferred custody to the father while granting the mother extensive visitation rights. On February 3, 2021, the ex-husband had been convicted of defamation.
Subsequently, cases were archived. On March 24, 2022, Investigating Court No. 11 in Palma ordered the provisional dismissal of the case regarding the alleged incitement to view prono material: “From the extensive investigation conducted, it cannot be concluded, even indicatively, that the minor was incited by the investigated person,” the document states, noting that the abuse assessment unit closed its intervention without obtaining any testimony. On May 18, 2022, Investigating Court No. 5 provisionally dismissed another complaint alleging sensual abuse.
Why Does She Ask the President for Help Instead of Reporting Him?
Because what she seeks, according to her account, is not confrontation but an audience. In recent years, she has attempted to contact Sánchez through various channels—messages to La Moncloa (the government headquarters), mutual friends, social media—without any known response. The Ibiza photo, she says, serves to make someone look at the file. She has also stated she has more photos, a remark made during International Women’s Day week that admits many interpretations.
Some argue that seeking a president’s intervention in a family dispute would constitute influence peddling and that the correct path is the courts. Opposing this is the argument that a person without resources also writes to whoever can help, and the key is not whom she writes to, but why she believes no one else listens.
The Noise of the Photo: Mockery, Comparisons, and a Fight Over Appearance
The image did what images do. Some comments focused directly on young Sánchez’s appearance and comparisons with his political rivals, antiestéticaturing jokes about nightclubs, tight shirts, and gelled hair. Others drifted into uncomfortable territory: whether attractiveness opens material doors, if a beautiful woman has an easier life than a handsome man, or if this explains a trajectory or merely accompanies it. Part of the commentary claimed that attractive women receive attention, invitations, and facilitations that men never see; the rebuttal was that such treatment exists but does not make anyone immune to time or bad luck.
The uncomfortable detail is that almost no one discussed the essentials. The underlying story is not beauty from thirty years ago, but an eviction order suspended at the last minute, a son, a cat, and a woman who has been posting the same message on the same social network since 2020 without receiving a reply.
No ruling has closed the matter. The case remains distributed among Palma courts, the eviction will likely return to the agenda, and the plea for help will remain posted where it has been for four years. It remains to be seen what exactly is expected of a president when tagged on a wall: a call, a lawyer, a gesture, or simply for someone in some office to read the entire file.
Voices of the Debate
On Tuesday, March 5, 2024, Carmen C. Herrero faced an imminent eviction order. It was suspended in extremis. That same day, she posted a message on Facebook tagging the Spanish Prime Minister: “A victim of violence, vulnerable mother, without resources, will see herself... on the street, with nowhere to live, losing her belongings and no shelter for her son and cat.” This was not her first attempt. In 2021, she had already published her photo with Pedro Sánchez, both in their twenties, smiling in Ibiza, but the plea “Pedro help me...” was drowned out by the massive coverage of that image. Now, she is trying again.
Who Is the Ex-Partner Sending the SOS?
She was not unknown when they crossed paths. At 17, she was crowned Miss Ibiza and Formentera at a ceremony held at the Pachá nightclub, standing 175 cm tall barefoot with a model’s poise. According to her own account, she was working in Madrid when she met Sánchez, and their relationship dates back to the early 2000s. She retains “good words” about him and a handful of printed photographs; there are few public images of the president’s youth, and she possesses several.
Regarding the origin of her current situation, her account is explicit: she states she has been separated from her ex-husband for more than six years, speaks of accusations she considers false, describes an “injustice,” and claims to be defenseless against what she perceives as the other party’s financial power. She provides documentation and a phrase summarizing her thesis: “I believe he cares about helping women who suffer.” Caution dictates emphasizing that this is her version, the one she maintains before the courts and anyone willing to listen.
What Do Judicial Rulings Say About Her Case?
The dates appear in documents she provides herself. On December 19, 2017, the Court of Violence Against Women No. 1 in Palma de Mallorca issued a protection order in her favor, including a restraining order and granting custody to the mother. Incivil Court No. 3 also found it proven that the previous day, during an argument in front of their common child, he called her “rat,” “you’re the worst,” “unfortunate,” and “disgusting.”
From there, the file becomes tangled. On October 15, 2020, a complaint alleged that the minor had access to prono material during visits. This issue is cited in the divorce ruling of May 17, 2021, which transferred custody to the father while granting the mother extensive visitation rights. On February 3, 2021, the ex-husband had been convicted of defamation.
Subsequently, cases were archived. On March 24, 2022, Investigating Court No. 11 in Palma ordered the provisional dismissal of the case regarding the alleged incitement to view prono material: “From the extensive investigation conducted, it cannot be concluded, even indicatively, that the minor was incited by the investigated person,” the document states, noting that the abuse assessment unit closed its intervention without obtaining any testimony. On May 18, 2022, Investigating Court No. 5 provisionally dismissed another complaint alleging sensual abuse.
Why Does She Ask the President for Help Instead of Reporting Him?
Because what she seeks, according to her account, is not confrontation but an audience. In recent years, she has attempted to contact Sánchez through various channels—messages to La Moncloa (the government headquarters), mutual friends, social media—without any known response. The Ibiza photo, she says, serves to make someone look at the file. She has also stated she has more photos, a remark made during International Women’s Day week that admits many interpretations.
Some argue that seeking a president’s intervention in a family dispute would constitute influence peddling and that the correct path is the courts. Opposing this is the argument that a person without resources also writes to whoever can help, and the key is not whom she writes to, but why she believes no one else listens.
The Noise of the Photo: Mockery, Comparisons, and a Fight Over Appearance
The image did what images do. Some comments focused directly on young Sánchez’s appearance and comparisons with his political rivals, antiestéticaturing jokes about nightclubs, tight shirts, and gelled hair. Others drifted into uncomfortable territory: whether attractiveness opens material doors, if a beautiful woman has an easier life than a handsome man, or if this explains a trajectory or merely accompanies it. Part of the commentary claimed that attractive women receive attention, invitations, and facilitations that men never see; the rebuttal was that such treatment exists but does not make anyone immune to time or bad luck.
The uncomfortable detail is that almost no one discussed the essentials. The underlying story is not beauty from thirty years ago, but an eviction order suspended at the last minute, a son, a cat, and a woman who has been posting the same message on the same social network since 2020 without receiving a reply.
No ruling has closed the matter. The case remains distributed among Palma courts, the eviction will likely return to the agenda, and the plea for help will remain posted where it has been for four years. It remains to be seen what exactly is expected of a president when tagged on a wall: a call, a lawyer, a gesture, or simply for someone in some office to read the entire file.
Voices of the Debate
— regarding differential treatment based on appearance.
— regarding the commercial value of the testimony.
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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 (206 replies).
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