The mobile phones of the militants and socialist sympathizers smoked throughout the election night on Calle Ferraz in Madrid. First to follow the scrutiny, optimistic from the beginning. There are those who did not give credit. Then to call their family and friends: “Come to the headquarters.” And then to record for the memory the popular song ‘Perra’, by Rigoberta Bandini, which played at full volume in tribute to the nickname of the leader. It was clearly the hymn of sweet defeat. Because Sánchez lost, but the taste was of victory both on the main floor and on the street.
The PSOE celebrated two milestones yesterday: having greatly improved the last electoral result, achieving around a million more votes, and, what is more important, having prevented a right-wing government. He did it, moreover, in the style of the great nights chanting the “ista, ista, ista, Spain is socialist.” Sánchez will continue in La Moncloa because socialism went to vote en masse.
Not even the most optimistic believed that the PP and Vox could be put up against the wall in the way that it was done. “The polls have not given a single one, we have turned them around,” boasted a militant. Except Tezanos, added another. So unexpected was the celebration that, in fact, Ferraz did not set up the traditional scaffolding of great nights until well into the scrutiny. It was an evening from less to more.
The PSOE had prepared “Perro Sanxe” stickers, which blew up. He also took out the banners with the logo that had been stored for a while. And he celebrated, above all he celebrated. From the federal leadership to the militancy. One of the details of the night was put by the adviser Aleix Sanmartin, who tweeted: “One more for the list of impossible choices.” A good definition for the pessimism that spread at times, especially after the face-to-face at the start of the campaign.
Last night Ferraz seemed like a music festival, one of those that Sánchez likes and that he misses so much, as he confessed to ‘La Pija y la Quinqui’. Quevedo, Rosalía and even the tune of Verano Azul rang, in the form of a message to Génova street. Everyone celebrated, even Nadia Calviño who still does not have a party card but she went to the federal headquarters and was in the back room.
Socialism now faces the sudoku of the investiture with renewed morality. It will not be easy, they assume, because the numbers do not give. But neither did Feijóo and Abascal. But it’s all a matter of emotions. And yesterday, in Ferraz, the feeling was one of joy. Not even the most mobilized right in recent years can remove the PSOE from ‘bailao’. But there were also those who missed someone on the scaffolding of victory: “Zapatero should be there.”
