In recent weeks, Spanish politics has once again been rocked by scandal—this time, not by the opposition, but from within the ruling PSOE party itself. The leaked WhatsApp messages involving former Transport Minister José Luis Ábalos have not only embarrassed the government but also revealed a darker, more authoritarian impulse within Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s inner circle. Rather than addressing the content of the revelations or opening the floor to transparency and accountability, Sánchez’s reaction has followed a now-familiar pattern: clamp down, discredit, and control.
The communications—shared by Ábalos himself following weeks of political pressure and internal isolation—reveal the inner workings of an administration more concerned with protecting its authority than with maintaining democratic principles. Rather than addressing the ethical issues at hand, Sánchez and his supporters have opted to brand any disagreement or disclosure as traitorous. This is not governing; it is tyranny masquerading as democracy.
Weaponizing Loyalty
The aftermath of the leaks has revealed a concerning pattern in Sánchez’s approach, where he insists on complete allegiance from his supporters. Those who challenge the party’s stance, even internally, are labeled as defectors. Ábalos, previously a trusted companion, has faced political ostracism not because of any legal conviction, but due to his political unsuitability. The signal to other party members is unmistakable: defy the leader, and you will be eliminated.
This authoritarian reflex is not new. Under Sánchez’s leadership, the PSOE has increasingly prioritized control over consensus, optics over ethics, and political survival over truth. The use of internal party machinery to suppress dissent and the media manipulation to divert attention are tactics more befitting a populist strongman than the leader of a European democracy.
A Risky Example
Democracy does not die in a single moment of chaos; it erodes drip by drip, scandal by scandal, rationalization by rationalization. In choosing to react with vengeance rather than transparency, Sánchez is not just protecting his political capital—he is corroding the very democratic foundations he claims to defend.
The Real Cost
If the goal of Sánchez’s response was to project strength and unity, the result has been the opposite. The Spanish public sees through the thin veil of staged narratives. Voters are not looking for a king behind a curtain but for a leader willing to confront the truth, even when it is uncomfortable.
Pedro Sánchez may well survive this scandal politically, as he has many others, but at what cost? The long-term damage to trust, the silencing of critical voices within the PSOE, and the chilling effect on whistleblowers are costs that Spain will pay for years to come.
In a democracy, the measure of leaders is not in their moments of success, but in their reactions to emergencies. Regarding the WhatsApp leaks, Pedro Sánchez has not passed this evaluation—opting for authoritarianism rather than democratic values.
