Pedro Sánchez Digs in in His Bunker

Pedro Sánchez managed to save face on July 23, and that might be enough for him to be president for four more years. But his position is much more weakened. The results show an ungovernable country and the socialist leader has lost the support of the regional barons.

Without internal support and with widespread social rejection, Sánchez has begun to prepare for a term of resistance. In Ferraz, they point out that the acting president will avoid experiments in appointments. He will surround himself with his trusted men and place them in strategic positions.

Óscar López, his chief of staff, and Félix Bolaños, Minister of the Presidency, will be the squires of "sanchismo" in this new stage. Óscar López is rumored to be the PSOE spokesperson, while Félix Bolaños could end up as the president of Congress.

Óscar López, The Architect of July 23

Óscar López and Félix Bolaños have represented for years the two tendencies within the Moncloa bunker. Bolaños was the man who convinced Pedro Sánchez of the shift to the left and the agreements with Podemos, ERC, and Bildu. López, on the other hand, advised breaking with the coalition government to strengthen Sánchez.

That war was won by Bolaños, but Óscar López has never ceased to be one of the three magnificent alongside Sánchez. He, Antonio Hernando, and Pedro Sánchez reached the socialist leadership with the help of former minister José Blanco. In 2021, after the great schism of the party, Sánchez got rid of Iván Redondo and appointed Óscar López as his chief of staff.

Óscar López has held several organizational positions and is the typical party man. His last great service was designing the electoral strategy that led to the surprising results of July 23. He was one of those who proposed the early election and then outlined the campaign lines.

Félix Bolaños, The Eternal Successor

If Óscar López has always been the man in the shadows, Félix Bolaños has presented a more political profile. In fact, he has long been seen as Pedro Sánchez's successor. On the eve of July 23, amid the possible socialist debacle, his name resurfaced as a potential replacement for Sánchez at the next extraordinary congress.

If Pedro Sánchez finally opts for Óscar López as spokesperson, it will mean a significant rebalancing of forces in his inner circle. Bolaños could receive in return the prize of the presidency of Congress. With Meritxell Batet and Miquel Iceta ruled out, his name now tops the lists for the desired position.

The other major casualty would be Patxi López, until now the PSOE spokesperson in Congress. Pedro Sánchez is considering offering him one of the three socialist positions on the Board. The other could be for Carmen Calvo, the acting president's loyal squire.

This would complete the quartet of the bunker (Óscar López, Félix Bolaños, Patxi López, and Carmen Calvo) in which Pedro Sánchez wants to entrench himself to resist four more years.