The Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE) is going through one of its most delicate internal crises over the management of the so-called “Salazar case”, the scandal of alleged sexual harassment and abuse of power that implicates former Moncloa adviser Paco Salazar and his right-hand man, Antonio Hernández, both of whom, until just a few days ago, were part of the closest circle of trust of the Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, who is currently surrounded by numerous corruption cases.
Who is Paco Salazar and what is he accused of
Francisco José “Paco” Salazar, a long-standing PSOE member from Seville, was mayor of Montellano and later a member of the Spanish Congress, as well as holding strategic posts alongside Pedro Sánchez in the party headquarters in Ferraz and at the Moncloa Palace.
In recent months, several female Socialist members and staff who worked under him have internally reported behaviours they describe as sexual harassment and abuse of power: sexually charged comments, persistent invitations to private meetings outside working hours and offers to let them stay at his home, always in a context of hierarchical dependence.
As a consequence of these grievances, Salazar was relieved of his duties within the party and no longer holds a role in the federal executive, in addition to losing his influential position in Moncloa. The incidents are under investigation following the PSOE’s internal anti-harassment procedures and might result in legal proceedings should the complainants choose to advance, yet for now, there is quiet.
The position held by Antonio Hernández, the ousted confidant
Antonio Hernández, until now director of the Political Coordination Department in Moncloa and a key figure in the Government’s political machinery, was considered Salazar’s right-hand man and his main support in day-to-day matters.
The women who reported Salazar also pointed to Hernández as an alleged “accomplice” and “cover-up” of the abuses, arguing that he was aware of the circumstances and failed to act to protect the victims, a claim he denies.
In the middle of the scandal, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez decided to push for his dismissal both from Moncloa and from the organizational structure of the Andalusian PSOE, a decision that the Council of Ministers has formalized in recent days and which has been interpreted as an attempt to “cauterize” the crisis and cut off any appearance of connivance with the conduct attributed to Salazar.
Criticism of the PSOE’s internal handling and delayed response
Numerous press articles suggest that the PSOE required over four months to officially reach out to the victims following the initial complaints, leading to significant internal dissent and greatly tarnishing the party’s reputation. The operation of the anti-harassment committee has been scrutinized for its sluggishness, lack of coordination, and inadequate communication with the federal leadership, in a party that prides itself on its feminist stance.
At the same time, voices critical of socialism are advocating for a comprehensive overhaul of internal protocols and organizational culture, aiming to eliminate what they term as “protective environments for alleged aggressors” and to address the neglect faced by women who come forward.
The stance of Pedro Sánchez’s Government
The Government’s spokesperson and Minister of Education, Pilar Alegría, has emphasized that the Executive responded with “speed and determination” once it was formally aware of the accusations, underscoring Salazar’s dismissal, his removal from the PSOE executive, and now, the termination of Antonio Hernández.
Alegría has publicly acknowledged that her recent lunch with Salazar —which took place when the complaints were already known— was a “mistake”, stressing that the focus of the debate must be on the victims and not on the political cost for the party.
Simultaneously, various reports suggest a potential legal challenge for the PSOE as an entity, hinging on the chance that the courts might evaluate if there was organizational accountability in managing the complaints. Some media outlets cite prosecutorial sources indicating the possibility of the party being scrutinized for an alleged organizational crime of sexual harassment, a situation that, at this stage, is merely a legal hypothesis under review and does not entail any formal charges.
Response from the opposition and political repercussions
The People’s Party (PP) has declared that it will leverage its Senate majority to summon Paco Salazar to testify before the committee regarding the so-called “Koldo case”, capitalizing on the public attention the former adviser has gained. From the PP, Sánchez is accused of being the president “most detrimental to women”, associating the Salazar case with other contentious incidents in the realm of equality and victim protection.
The opposition as a whole has focused on the chain of appointments, dismissals and reassignments around Salazar, as well as on the fact that two of his closest female collaborators are said to have been moved to public companies in recent years, which reinforces the narrative of a network of trust around the former adviser within the state apparatus.
An open case that puts the party’s protocols and credibility to the test
The Salazar case, which now includes Antonio Hernández, has created a significant political and ethical divide within Pedro Sánchez’s PSOE, amidst a societal call for zero tolerance against sexual harassment and abuses of power in both the workplace and political spheres.
While internal proceedings and possible judicial actions are still underway, the party faces a twofold test: on the one hand, to prove that its anti-harassment protocols work effectively and put victims first; on the other, to rebuild the trust of its own electorate and of public opinion, which is watching with concern the succession of leaks, corrections and dismissals surrounding the case.
In any event, both Paco Salazar and Antonio Hernández still retain, as of today, their right to the presumption of innocence before the courts, pending full clarification of the facts and the possible opening of criminal proceedings. The next steps taken by the PSOE and Pedro Sánchez’s Government will be decisive in determining the political, institutional and judicial scope of this scandal. But for the moment, despite the legal duty to do so, there has been no indication that the PSOE itself is filing any complaint with the authorities, as has already been the case with other corruption scandals surrounding the party.
