The leadership of the PSOE yesterday wanted to put an end to the clash with the president of Castilla-La Mancha, the socialist Emiliano García-Page, after communicating a harsh reprimand to him for denouncing that, in his opinion, the negotiations on the amnesty the party is placed “outside the Constitution”. Page himself wanted to reduce tensions, but also demanded “respect” for his opinions, no matter how minority he assumes they are in the party. Swords continue to fly, though both sides are now trying to avoid adding more fuel to the fire.
The first vice-president of the Spanish Government and deputy general secretary of the PSOE, María Jesús Montero, opened the debate yesterday. “I do not share a strategy in which notoriety is made from the discrepancy, this is not the way,” he warned Page. It is not appropriate, he rebuked him, to seek prominence “confronting the strategies of the Government and the party”. The way, he told him, is to row together to “stop the advance of the right and the ultra-right”. “We have no energy or effort to waste”, he concluded.
From Montero’s words – which were added to those issued the day before by Óscar Puente and Santos Cerdán to stop Page -, a cascade of statements was unleashed by ministers and socialist leaders who wanted to leave evidence the loneliness of the Mancheque leader in his discrepancy with the official line of the party, despite the fact that he is in tune with the criticisms of Felipe González, Alfonso Guerra and other veterans of the old guard.
The still leader of the Valencian Socialists, Ximo Puig, defended that the amnesty is not “outside the scope” of the Constitution, demanded “loyalty” to Page and warned him that it is not time to “do frontism”. Ministers such as Fernando Grande-Marlaska and Ana Redondo also stood up to him. Or former minister José Blanco: “Page would be better off keeping quiet”. Minister Jordi Hereu, who had just joined the Ferraz executive, disagreed with Page, but warned that the PSOE is “a pluralist party because it has broad borders”, he defended that it freely expresses its opinions and emphasize that he is “a magnificent president, much loved by his people”.
The management of the PSOE does not consider applying disciplinary measures or opening any file against Page, and they limit themselves, at least for now, to trusting that the serious touch of attention will have an effect.
In Ferraz they see Page in the absolute minority, in the party and among the militancy. Not surprisingly, the consultation with affiliates on Pedro Sánchez’s investiture pacts, which culminated on November 4, showed that Page also does not have unanimous support in his own federation. 78.5% of the Castilian-Manchega militancy that voted supported Sánchez, compared to 19.8% who opposed it. And, after Santos Cerdán had already met with Carles Puigdemont in Brussels, a few days before. Although in this federation it is where Sánchez received a greater punishment vote.
