Pedro Sánchez Has Only One Way Out

Pedro Sánchez only needed to win the debate by a landslide, and he ended up like a puppet in his opponent's hands. The debate ended with a KO and PSOE's campaign advisors with their hands on their heads. Yesterday we witnessed not only the decline of "sanchismo" but also the rise of candidate Feijóo.

Paradoxically, it was the PP candidate who showed Pedro Sánchez the only viable way out he has left: breaking with his partners and facilitating the investiture of Alberto Núñez Feijóo.

Feijóo Sets the New Rules

The debate started unexpectedly, with an agitated and overacting Pedro Sánchez facing a forceful and composed Feijóo. The socialist seemed like the challenger and Feijóo the candidate for reelection. One by one, the popular candidate won all the segments waiting for the final assault.

The highlight of the debate arrived with the topic of electoral pacts. Sánchez became obsessed with the PP-Vox pacts without realizing the strategy his rival was subtly deploying. Feijóo extended his hand to form a moderate center government, cornering Sánchez into a dead end.

With this, he achieved two things. One, he got rid of Sánchez's strategy of presenting PP as the same as Vox. And two, he turned the tables and presented Pedro Sánchez's PSOE and Santiago Abascal's party as two extremes that feed off each other.

Sánchez Has One Way Out

In the battle of "and you more," Feijóo skillfully managed to present himself as the candidate of moderation in these elections. The popular candidate put forward the solution that would avoid having to govern with Sumar, ERC, EH Bildu, and Vox. Sánchez, nervous and blinded, avoided the proposal that could save his long-term project.

Pedro Sánchez lost yesterday the few options he had to turn around the polls. In this situation, distancing himself from his partners and seeking centrality may be the only way out he has left.

In the short term, correcting his strategy and distancing himself from his Frankenstein partners may prevent the loss of votes to the center now represented by Feijóo. If PSOE saves face in the elections and his partners sink, he will have more arguments to facilitate a PP government. Sanchismo is mortally wounded, but the Socialist Party is not yet.

In the long term, PSOE would have four years to make sensible opposition with major state agreements. That is, returning to bipartisanship to shake off the burden of the extremes that have worn down the party. And redeeming itself to prepare a new assault in the next legislature.

The Extremes Move Away from the Center

It seems difficult that Pedro Sánchez, more entrenched than ever, will change his strategy at this point in the game. And that, despite his partners keeping their distance. Gabriel Rufián laughed at him last night, and Yolanda Díaz presented herself as the only alternative left alive on the left.

The debate also highlighted the divorce between PP and Vox. Feijóo used the Murcia mess to distance himself from Abascal's party, and the Vox leader harshly criticized the popular candidate after the debate. They are both doomed to understand each other, but rebuilding the bridges after July 23 will be more difficult than it seemed.

In reality, and although it seems ironic, everything is now in Pedro Sánchez's hands.