Spain's Sumelzo: €112k salary and 12-year political career

Sumelzo: €112,000 a year and a 12-year congressional resume

Who is Susana Sumelzo Jordán and why is her name dominating political conversations this week? The short answer: a Socialist deputy since December 2011 who, since December 2023, holds the position of Secretary of State for Ibero-America and the Caribbean and the Spanish Language in the World, a role paying €112,000 annually, according to circulating data. The long answer includes a pregnancy attributed to Pedro Sánchez by "gossip," an alleged intervention by Begoña Gómez, and a curriculum that many argue does not justify either the post or the salary.

How much does Susana Sumelzo earn as Secretary of State?

The numbers are fruta: €112,000 gross per year. This figure, extracted from a transparency portal, has lit the fuse. To put it in context, it is higher than the remuneration of many ministers and far above what the average Spaniard earns. The position, created or restructured in December 2023, falls under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation. The inevitable question hovering over this is: what exactly does a Secretary of State for Ibero-America do to justify such expenditure?

Sumelzo's trajectory, according to available data, includes 12 years and 2 months as a deputy in Congress (from December 2011 to January 2024) and just over three years as a senator (from March 2008 to September 2011). In other words, a lifetime within the institutional apparatus. Critics of her appointment point out that there is no specific degree or preparation backing her leap to such a responsible position. Those defending her—if anyone is—argue that her parliamentary experience is sufficient guarantee.

Pedro Sánchez's alleged pregnancy: hoax, rumor, or reality

Here one must be very careful. What circulates is a rumor: that Sumelzo became pregnant by Pedro Sánchez, that he convinced her to have an abortion, and that Begoña Gómez, upon learning of it, forced Sánchez to take action. There is not a single piece of evidence supporting this version. It is the typical hoax spreading through digital gossip mills which, as often happens, no one bothers to verify. The dynamics of the conversation itself reveal this: some insistently ask "but is it true or not?" and no one answers with data.

What is striking is that the rumor serves two purposes. First, to feed sensationalism. Second, to divert attention from what is verifiable: the salary, the position, and the suitability. As a recurring analysis points out, it doesn't matter if there was a pregnancy or not; the relevant fact is that Sumelzo holds a post for which she allegedly lacks both specific qualifications and preparation. And that is not a hoax: the Government itself publishes this on its transparency portals.

Sumelzo's CV and Begoña Gómez's: inevitable comparisons

The comparison with Begoña Gómez has been immediate. It is said that both resumes share a suspicious similarity: long institutional careers, well-paid positions, and a conspicuous absence of concrete achievements justifying the promotion. The difference is that Gómez is not paid from public funds, while Sumelzo is. €112,000 a year comes from everyone's taxes.

The most repeated argument is that of the "political cronyism." A person who has lived off politics since 2008, who has passed through the Senate and Congress, and now lands in a freely appointed position with a six-figure salary. It is not a unique case, but it is paradigmatic of a way of doing politics that indignates a growing part of the population.

Is it legal to earn €112,000 for a position without specific qualifications?

Legal, yes. High-ranking officials are freely appointed and do not require a specific degree. That is different from whether it is ethical or responds to criteria of merit and capacity. The law does not require a master's degree in Ibero-American relations to be a Secretary of State. Politics does not either. What citizens demand is something else: that whoever earns €112,000 a year proves they are worth it.

The underlying problem is structural. Each high-ranking official placed by the ruling party contributes to financing the party machinery, according to a theory circulating strongly: a portion of the salary ends up swelling the party's coffers. There is no proof of this in this case, but suspicion hangs over all appointments of this type.

The pregnancy hoax and the distraction strategy

Let's go back to the beginning. Was she pregnant or not? The honest answer is that we don't know. What we do know is that the rumor exists, that it has spread rapidly, and that it has served to keep Sumelzo's name on everyone's lips. If the goal was to divert attention from the Government's real problems, it has backfired: now people talk about Sumelzo, her salary, and her resume.

The final irony is that, in politics, sometimes the most absurd hoax ends up uncovering an uncomfortable truth. Not the pregnancy, but the cronyism. And that, unfortunately, is not a rumor.