He wanted to be Edmund Dantès, the tormented hero of Alexandre Dumas’s work, and in many moments he resembled the Count of Monte Cristo. But life is not a novel, although it may seem similar, and in the last chapter, as an epilogue, of the story of José Luís Ábalos as a member of the PSOE, defeat has taken shape. It was not like this for decades, because this man, tough, tough, always with friends of messianic fidelity, who was formed in his youth in the ranks of the Communist Party (1978-1981), knew how to fall and rise. “I never give up,” he said in the 90s, when he was a councilor in Valencia.
In each resurrection he seemed to regain strength; like when he lost the general secretary of the PSPV against Joan Ignasi Pla in 2000, but he continued to be decisive in the party. His political family, known as the “abalistas”, worked to maintain shares of power in the Valencian federation and confirmed themselves as a group that, at times, could unbalance the balance in favor of one candidate or another.
His greatest political commitment was to work for the resurrection of Pedro Sánchez when he was executed by the federal committee: Ábalos was the man who accompanied him in all the victories and the president’s best shield against the opposition’s challenges. That was a time when the leadership of the PSPV, in the hands of Ximo Puig, opted for Susana Díaz.
The man whom many considered finished off in Valencian socialism returned, like Edmundo Dantès, through the front door and with a prize: Minister of Public Works and Secretary of Organization of the PSOE. His power was such that he came close to making Puig’s life miserable when he nominated one of his faithful, Rafael García, mayor of Burjassot, in the 2017 primaries to compete for the general secretary of the PSPV. One fact: Puig was already president then.
Then suspicion arose when he was removed from the Government and the leadership of the PSOE. It seemed like the end of him, fueled by many hypotheses, never confirmed. There were no explanations, and suspicions about Ábalos multiplied. There were several hypotheses: from the episode of Delcy Rodríguez’s landing in Barajas or alleged irregularities in the ministry. Nobody said anything or clarified anything.
For the 23-J elections the mystery grew, as Sánchez relocated him to the list for Congress. Everything has been ephemeral, because the Koldo case has returned him to the Castle of If, and it does not seem that this time he will find Abbe Faria to save him. We’ll see what his next move is. But let’s remember that the full name of Dumas’s novel is The Revenge of the Count of Monte Cristo. Let’s be attentive
